There has been much talk about Miami building a new stadium for the Hurricanes football program ever since the Orange Bowl was torn down in 2008. Marlins Park is in its place, and the Canes have been traveling 21 miles to play its home games since.

Enter John H. Ruiz, the billionaire attorney that specializes in insurance claims through his firm MSP Recovery. The Miami alum has plans to help build a 60-thousand-plus-seat stadium at Tropical Park, just three miles away from the University of Miami.

The park is home to a shared high school football stadium and sits on about 300 acres of land. Ruiz consulted HKS Architects, the same firm that helped built SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, to build a similar stadium in Miami. The plans are in the process of being presented to the county.

Ruiz has reportedly worked with Miami student-athletes in securing NIL deals and helped to sign over a hundred athletes within the last year. Miami launched its official NIL Marketplace for Miami student-athletes last month.

Miami already plays at a world-class facility at Hard Rock Stadium, the issue is the proximity and that it is a shared stadium with the Miami Dolphins.

Building the stadium would be a valuable recruiting tool as many prospects around the country take tours of stadiums that are on or close to the campus in which they are visiting.

The proposed stadium will have a retractable roof that will be transparent enabling sunlight to come through even when closed.

Many believe that Miami does not need a stadium closer to campus to get back to championship prominence and the construction of the stadium could potentially cost Miami-Dade County and its taxpayers millions of dollars.

Ruiz initially attempted to build a stadium on the campus of Coral Gables High School and that was met with significant disapproval. Many also want to keep Tropical Park as is, as it’s a staple of the community.