If you're not growing, you're dying.

There's no doubt that the renovations to Louisiana football stadium Cajun Field will boon the athletics department's front porch but the upgrades to the facility center around enhancement and advancement.

The $65 million project, an almost complete overhaul of the West side of the stadium, features 34 new suites, 40 loge boxes, a total of 524 club level seats as well as new lower bowl chairbacks sections for fans to sit in. Demolition and the start of construction is set for Dec. 11, two weeks following the Ragin' Cajuns' final home game against Louisiana-Monroe.

Scheduled completion of the renovations is prior to the start of the Cajuns' 2025 season. The team will be in the stadium next season but the west side will be completely blocked off and all spectators will sit on the east side and spill over to some portions of the south end zone section.

For Louisiana Athletics Director Bryan Maggard and the renovation consultation team that was assembled, how the program could make fans' gameday better was always at the forefront of the stadium's modern design.

"It starts with making sure all fans are going to get an improved, quality experience," Maggard said. "Every time we approached our design meetings, they were led by 'What can we incorporate in this facility that will actually give me a reason to leave the comforts of their home?'

"Whether it's the new lower West bowl or the premium amenities that we're finally going to be able to provide our fans, we feel like from A to Z, everyone's going to have their own tune."

Fans going through concessions will be faster and easier. The facade of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium will be sleek and there'll be more space on the concourse for access to seats, restrooms, etc.

Maggard said during the consultation and exploratory phase of the design, that they knew what they were aiming for but also studied and took some notes on new stadiums around the Sun Belt Conference such as South Alabama, Appalachian State and Arkansas State as well as some Power Five institutions.

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"We had a general idea of what we wanted. We have a budget, you build within that budget and insert what fits. I would say through a lot of our experiences," Maggard said.

"(Louisiana Deputy Director of Athletics and RCAF Executive Director) Trey Frazier who was a key part of UAB football's new stadium build ... My experience, DLR (UL stadium's design team), they specialize in athletic venues. It was a collective thought process and we all kind of pulled from this and that."

Over the last handful of years, there's been wide-sweeping changes to the landscape of college football and collegiate athletics with the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness as well as conference realignment in what seems like every year.

Being visible and attractive to top recruits as well as donors and the fan base matters more than ever for football teams. That's why the announcement of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium and the renovations with a detailed timeline has been vital for Maggard, UL football and the athletic department.

"If you're not growing, you're dying in this business. It's not a matter of not keeping up with the Joneses, but doing what works for you in the manner you can do it in. This is going to be a catalyst for Louisiana football, no doubt in my mind," Maggard said. "We have a tremendous amount of talent in this state from a recruiting standpoint, we have an amazing coaching staff.

"We're going to position all of these pieces to be able to recruit something very special. When they walk out there on Friday or Saturday with the lights on, they're going to see something special. I think it'll help solidify the steadfast recruiting we've been doing for a long time."

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Cajun Field renovations to be 'catalyst' for Louisiana football