The south end zone addition to Jack Trice Stadium will undoubtedly propel Iowa State’s prestige, but what it will do for the future of the football team may be more profound. 

The addition will add 3,000 seats to the 56,900-seat capacity of the stadium and will add the Sukup End Zone Club, where fans can enjoy the game indoors with alcoholic beverages — the only area in the stadium where those drinks are permitted. 

About 2,100 of the 3,000 seats in the south end zone have been sold and Iowa State has already been approached for use of the Sukup End Zone Club during the season.

“We’ll still be drying the paint for that first game, but we’ve already been approached by a number of groups as far as renting it,” Jorgensen said. “We’ll use it for a number of internal department events as well.”

Texas’ stadium currently holds 100,119 people, making it the largest capacity in the Big 12. A recent renovation to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s stadiums and long-term additions for Texas Tech along with a brand new Baylor stadium in Waco, Texas, has put the Big 12 close to the top in the nation for football stadiums. 

Iowa State’s south end zone project comes at a good time to attempt to keep up with the rest of the conference.

“We know what’s going to sell in our stadium,” said Chris Jorgensen, director of Facilities, Planning and Management for the ISU athletic department. “We’re all excited about it, just like everyone in the Big 12 will tell you, they’re excited. There’s a lot going on conference wide.”

The Cyclones new attendance will launch them from sixth in the conference to third, trailing just Oklahoma, 82,112, and Texas. 

The improvement has already paid dividends for the school.

During a golden ticket weekend for ISU recruits, the team showed the athletes the Sukup End Zone Club and took them on a tour of the new addition two weekends ago. 

It certainly seemed to work.

Iowa State grabbed a running back recruit from California and two recruits for 2016, the team’s first commitments for that season. 

Iowa State owns one of the most known stadiums in the Big 12 and the country in Hilton Coliseum and has coined the term “Hilton Magic” for Iowa State’s seemingly improbable comebacks. The coliseum has given Iowa State the reputation of a basketball school.

The south end zone project may be changing those tides.

“Everybody’s excited,” Jorgensen said. “The south end zone project is something that has been discussed for 25 years. So to finally see that we’re less than 100 days from seeing it in action … everybody is excited to see that.”

The south end zone’s opening dates are set at Aug. 11 for the Sukup End Zone Club and Aug. 24 for the lower-bowl seats that will add about 3,000 more seats. 

The ISU football season will open Sept. 5 at home in the remodeled Jack Trice Stadium against in-state rival Northern Iowa.