ESPN began its high school football kickoff weekend at Buford High School in Georgia. The seventh-ranked Wolves opened their brand-new $62 million stadium against the 13-ranked Milton Eagles as the first nationally-televised game of the 2025 season.
As beautiful as the building looks from the outside, it drew criticism from visitors for how it is structured.
Georgia high school football fans were forced to wait in long lines to get inside the stadium. They were disappointed by the lack of concessions and bathrooms upon entry.
Where is Buford High School?
Located approximately 40 miles from Atlanta, Buford consistently ranks as one of the top-25 programs in the country. This year is no different.
Approximately eight percent of the total student body plays high school football with more than 160 players listed on three different teams— freshman, JV and Varsity.
With such a large roster, the Wolves have two different fields used only for games. One is for junior varsity. The other is for varsity.
They also have six different practice fields on campus. SIX! Just for practice!
$62 million football stadium for what?!
Buford recently finished construction on its brand-new football stadium. It cost a cool $62 to build and puts most small colleges to shame. No big deal.
An interior tour of the $62 million high school football stadium showcases a full press box and multiple luxury suites. Other standout features include the state-of-the-art cheerleader dressing room.
Football powerhouse Buford HS (GA) went all out for their cheer squad 😯🙌 pic.twitter.com/IBDkod0BQ6
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 14, 2025
The stadium looked just as beautiful on ESPN as it does on social media.
And them boys were HITTING!
Deion Miller just decapitated a man live on TV.
— Pavelka’s Fat Uncle (@pavelkasuncle) August 15, 2025
Buford HS (GA)
6'0 220 lbs
0 star LB
Committed to Army pic.twitter.com/UhTXQ4506f
The Wolves, led by Dylan Raiola’s little brother, defeated the back-to-back state champion Eagles by a final score of 2013. It was a tremendous opening night for Buford High School.
Some fans were still dissapointed.
Although the new $62 million football stadium drew high praise from almost everybody involved with the season-opener, there is a small group of folks who vow not to return. They were not impressed.
First and foremost, it sounds like the entry process could be better organized moving forward.
“Beautiful stadium but getting into the stadium tonight was a freaking disaster. We waited like 45 minutes to get in. Unacceptable,” said Ed Cox.
Matt Morris had an issue with the stadium design. He was baffled by the lack of concessions and frustrated by the lack of cover to access the bathrooms.
Dickie G found both of the above complaints to be valid.
“We waited almost an hour to get in through the one gate they told us they had, with two metal detectors. Then waited an hour for food. Not going back,” he wrote.
I understand how such minor gripes could become inflated when a $62 million price tag is attached to the construction process. At that cost, every little detail should be perfect. Entry procedure will improve.
And yet, I still cannot imagine being as upset as Morris about bathrooms and concessions. He made much ado about nothing!