In Photos: A look at the brand new $56,000,000 Texas high school football stadium at LaPorte HS

On Wednesday, La Porte High School in Texas officially unveiled its long-anticipated $56 million football stadium, a modern venue that signals a new chapter for the Bulldogs and their community.

The facility, part of a broader $235 million bond initiative passed by La Porte ISD voters in May 2023, replaces the old stadium that was torn down to make room for the new build.

The two-year construction project yielded a stadium equipped with major upgrades, including a larger seating capacity, a cutting-edge turf field, an expanded track and a newly designed press box.

It also features a state-of-the-art weight room tailored to meet the demands of today’s athletes. This investment reflects the deep-rooted commitment of the La Porte community to its school athletics.

Photos released by Texas Football Life on Wednesday gave the public its first full view of the stadium’s sleek, high-tech design. The facility is one of the most striking in the state.

The Bulldogs were without a home field since 2022, last playing at their stadium on Oct. 21, 2022, against Baytown Sterling. Since then, they’ve held their “home” games at Barbers Hill High School, located 24 miles away, and Deer Park’s Abshier Stadium, 12 miles from campus.

“It’s not easy,” Bulldogs coach Kevin Berneathy said on Thursday, via SI. “It’s built a huge amount of toughness in our team. We can go anywhere and play. It’s a privilege to coach a bunch of kids that are mature enough to handle that.”

La Porte's 2024 season saw a breakthrough, reaching the postseason’s second round for the first time since 2016 and making their deepest playoff run in 13 years, advancing to the regional finals.

Austin DB Yaheim “Miami” Riley commits to Texas after decommitting from Houston

Class of 2026 three-star defensive back Yaheim “Miami” Riley committed to Texas on Friday after decommitting from Houston in April. His decision followed a visit that reaffirmed his ties to the Longhorns.

Riley is the No. 116 prospect in Texas and No. 67 nationally among safeties, per 247Sports Composite. He spent the last three seasons at Austin LBJ and was named one of the American-Statesman's top players in the Austin area.

This marks Texas’ first Austin-area high school commitments since Westlake’s Colton Vasek in 2023. The Longhorns hadn’t signed an Austin ISD player directly from high school since 2021, when Charles Wright joined the program.

Riley’s connection to Texas run deep. He was coached at LBJ by Jamal Fenner, the Longhorns' director of high school relations, and trained with Central Texas personal coach Bernard “Bam” Blake. That training linked him to Texas defensive backs Jahdae Barron, Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe.

Seeing Barron and Mukuba get drafted was pivotal.

“That group kind of rejuvenated the local kids’ belief and the dream of playing for UT,” Blake said on Friday, via Austin American-Statesman. “Seeing it unfold in front of your eyes is very different.”

Texas has eight commits in its 2026 class, ranked 25th nationally.