WRUF to Carry Jacksonville Jaguars Games in Historic Partnership
Jaguars fans across north and central Florida now have a new home for every game.
WRUF has announced a three-year partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars that brings live coverage of every preseason, regular season and postgame games to WRUF. All games will be heard on 103.7 The Gator. The signal reaches coast to coast across northern Florida and as far south as The Villages, putting Jaguars broadcasts in front of one of the team’s largest regional fan bases. Select games will be heard on 850 AM/98.1 FM/103.7 HD2 (ESPN Gainesville).
The deal is the first of its kind between an NFL franchise and a major research university, and it goes well beyond the broadcast booth.
Randy Wright, Executive Director of UF’s Division of Media Properties, laid out what student access will actually look like in practice.
“Advanced level sports journalism students at the College of Journalism and Communications, working at ESPN affiliate WRUF, will have the opportunity to serve as beat reporters for the Jacksonville Jaguars — in both print and electronic media,” Wright said. “Students will have access to the same opportunities as professional journalists who cover the Jaguars daily. Weekly access to press conferences and locker room access are incorporated into the partnership, and dedicated positions in the press box with postgame media access and sideline access on game day.”
Photojournalism students will also be part of the mix, with dedicated sideline passes and access to not only games but practices and training camp as well. Student content will air on WRUF-AM and WRUF-FM, publish on WRUF.com, and appear on WUFT-TV.
The access begins when Jacksonville opens training camp later this summer in preparation for the 2026 NFL season.
“We are committed to providing hands-on learning for students, and this partnership will open up countless opportunities for our aspiring sports journalists,” said Hub Brown, dean of UF’s College of Journalism and Communications.
Jaguars VP of Sales and Marketing Chris Gargani, a UF graduate himself, called the arrangement a natural fit. “The Jaguars and the University of Florida are uniquely positioned to partner as the first NFL team and elite research institution to combine gameday broadcast coverage with hands-on career development for emerging talent,” he said. “We are looking forward to expanding our presence to our large fan base and contributing to the professional development of UF journalism students through this one-of-a-kind relationship.”
UF is one of a small number of major research universities in the country that operates commercial media — a distinction that made this kind of partnership possible.+
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