Inside Illinois' new $20.9M jumbotron, the biggest in college football history

Inside Illinois’ new $20.9M jumbotron, the biggest in college football history originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Illinois is coming off a Final Four appearance on the basketball court, but the Illini have become a strong football school as well in recent years with a combined 19 wins over the last two seasons.

Now, the program is leveling up, at least aesthetically.

Illinois fans will be greeted this season by the biggest jumbotron in college football history at Gies Memorial Stadium, with the $20.9 million video board debuting against UAB on Sept. 3.

Here’s what you need to know about Illinois’ record-setting jumbotron.

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Illinois jumbotron details

Gies Memorial Stadium might not be widely viewed as one of the true destinations of college football, but Illinois is working to change that with a major upgrade this season.

The venue’s massive new jumbotron was designed and manufactured by South Dakota-based company Daktronics, with the video board spanning more than 17,300 square feet and featuring 30 million pixels. 

The jumbotron is 69 feet high and 250 feet wide, designed to feature “live video, instant replays, graphics, animations, game statistics and sponsorship messages” — all among what a typical jumbotron does, but now on a massive screen.

Illinois’ new scoreboard is insane 😳

It’s 17,000 square feet making it the largest in College Football pic.twitter.com/1av2H7v3Jz

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) August 10, 2026

Illinois’ new jumbotron is shattering a college football record, as Auburn’s 10,690-square foot scoreboard was the largest before the 2026 season. Illinois’ jumbotron comes in at nearly 7,000 more square feet, setting a new standard. 

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How much did the Illinois jumbotron cost?

Illinois’ new jumbotron cost $20.94 million, according to Front Office Sports, with the funds primarily coming courtesy of a $100 million donation from Larry Gies.

After Gies’ donation, the venue was renamed from Memorial Stadium to Gies Memorial Stadium in honor of Gies’ late father.

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Biggest jumbotrons in sports

Illinois set a new college football record with its new jumbotron, but the NFL is still king when it comes to size. SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Allegiant Stadium all lead the way in the United States:

American sports

VenueTeam(s)Size (square feet)SoFi StadiumRams, Chargers70,000Mercedes-Benz StadiumFalcons62,350Allegiant StadiumRaiders27,600Texas Motor SpeedwayN/A22,692Gillette StadiumPatriots22,200

College football

On the college football front, Illinois’ 17,315-square foot video board easily clears Auburn’s mark of 10,690 square feet at Jordan Hare-Stadium:

SchoolSize (square feet)Illinois17,315Auburn10,690Purdue8,461Oregon8,208Michigan8,165

After Illinois, three more Big Ten programs round out the top five.