The Independent Florida Alligator has an extensive history of covering the University of Florida and the greater Gainesville area. But beginning in 2026, the publication is expanding its sports coverage to include an NFL beat covering the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Why?
The move aims to expand The Alligator’s reach and provide an additional beat for student journalists looking to broaden and diversify their repertoire. Though Jacksonville lies beyond its typical coverage area, The Alligator sees value in expanding the scope of its reporting to include a professional sports organization.
Providing coverage of an NFL team will allow Alligator reporters to gain valuable hands-on experience developing coverage plans and working in a professional sports environment.
Skills like beat reporting and adaptability are paramount, especially in a time-bound field like journalism. Coverage of the Jaguars will provide reporters with opportunities to develop those skills and enhance their preparedness for professional journalism.
It will also give The Alligator’s audience a wider variety of sports content to enjoy on a weekly basis.
The publication remains committed to covering Gators sports – from swimming & diving to national-championship frontrunning men’s basketball – and its work reporting on the Gainesville sports scene will continue to lie at the forefront of The Alligator’s coverage.
Types of coverage
Readers will find a multitude of Jaguars coverage on The Alligator’s website. From game previews to recaps to follow-up stories, the publication will roll out weekly stories detailing breaking news and developments surrounding the franchise.
The Alligator’s coverage of the Jaguars is expected to mirror its reporting on the Gators football beat, supplementing interviews, storylines and game coverage with context, analysis and insight.
The Alligator is prepared to open the door to this next chapter of sports reporting and is excited to provide its readers with coverage of a professional franchise not far from Gainesville.
In the publication’s first semester with a Jaguars beat, the paper plans to task sports editors and football reporters Curan Ahern and Max Bernstein with providing consistent coverage of the franchise and building lasting, meaningful relationships with professional athletes, staff and writers surrounding the organization.
Jacksonville opens the regular season against the Cleveland Browns Sept. 13 at 1 p.m.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor, and is the Summer 2026 Digital Managing Editor at The Alligator. Now in his eighth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports editor, and previously served as a reporter for men's tennis, sports enterprise and football. He is currently pursuing a public relations minor and is an avid Duval sports fan. (#DTWD)
