Why Southern Miss' Lucrative Renasant Stadium Deal Is Bigger Than a Name Change

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved a 10-year naming-rights agreement between the University of Southern Mississippi and Renasant Bank, shifting M.M. Roberts Stadium to Renasant Stadium. The $13.7 million deal takes effect Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, according to the report. Renasant Bank, headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, also sponsors the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, which hosts events including the AutoZone National Sales Meeting and the Memphis International Auto Show. With this agreement, Southern Miss becomes the first—and only—team in Mississippi to have a football stadium named after a business. The article also traces the stadium’s history from Faulkner Field in 1932.