Big changes could be coming to Coleman Coliseum on the Alabama campus.

In a Monday interview with WJOX-FM, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said they've hired an architectural firm to look at the future of the multipurpose arena on campus.

"They have been studying Coleman and weighing building a new arena versus renovating Coleman," Byrne said on the 3 Man Front program. "It's not done by any stretch but right now, it is certainly looking like a renovation. We can get a lot done for the dollar figured compared to building a new arena but we're still not all the way to the finish line on that."

The 50-year old building his home also to both the Alabama basketball programs and gymnastics team. Seating 15,383, the complex is outdated from a revenue-generating standpoint. The last major renovation came in 2005-06.

The idea with the potential future work sounds much more extensive than the last one.

"What we do know is the bones of Coleman Coliseum, the footprint of Coleman Coliseum is very good," Byrne told WJOX. "That's something you can build around. We have some early concepts --not what we're ready to come out publicly with at this point -- but we are looking at those and trying to get a little bit down the path financially."

That's where things get somewhat complicated. Byrne noted the difficulty athletic departments now face with the new tax structure that doesn't allow boosters to take deductions on money donated to the school.

"I've talked to more tax attorneys in the last few months since this came on the table for us than I ever thought I would in my life," Byrne told WJOX.

The basketball facility question has been on the table for some time now. Basketball coach Avery Johnson noted it as a priority when he arrived three years ago this week. SEC peers Auburn and Ole Miss have opened new arenas in recent years leaving Coleman Coliseum as one of the oldest facilities in the SEC.

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande.