Jaguar fans who spent last season hunting the dial for a South Alabama football broadcast will have an easier time this fall. The university’s athletic department has signed a broadcast partnership with Cumulus Media, giving the program a new radio home and a substantially expanded distribution footprint across the Gulf Coast.
The move fills a gap created when Sports Talk 99.5, which carried South Alabama football, basketball and baseball in recent seasons, switched formats and is no longer a sports station. That left one of Mobile’s most visible athletic programs without a flagship, an awkward position for a university that has invested heavily in raising its profile.
Where to Find the Games
Jaguar football will now air on a three-station network:
- Hot 94.1 FM (WMEZ)
- JOX 660 AM (WXQW)
- 104.1 FM-HD3
Beyond football, all broadcasts of men’s basketball, baseball and softball, as well as football, will stream exclusively through the free Varsity Network app. Football broadcasts will additionally be carried on SiriusXM.
For the first time, a public archive of all broadcasts will be available through the Varsity Network app and at JagNationTV.com, meaning a listener who misses a game live can go back and hear the call rather than settle for a box score.
Why the Reach Matters
Don Boyd, regional vice president and market manager for Cumulus Mobile, Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, framed the deal in terms of geography.
“Cumulus is proud to partner with the University of South Alabama to expand the reach of Jaguar football across the Gulf Coast,” Boyd said. “By broadcasting games on JOX 660 WXQW, 104.1 HD3, and 94.1 WMEZ, we’re providing fans unprecedented access to South Alabama football. This three-frequency network delivers outstanding coverage from Biloxi to Fort Walton Beach and throughout the communities north of the Gulf Coast, ensuring Jag fans never miss a moment of the action.”
The 660 AM signal is the piece worth understanding. AM signals at that frequency travel far, particularly after dark, which is precisely when most football games are played. Pairing that reach with FM clarity in the Mobile market and an HD subchannel gives the network coverage that no single station could provide alone.
The Broadcast Team
J.T. Crabtree returns for his 13th season as the play-by-play voice of the Jaguars and serves as the university’s director of broadcasting.
- J.T. Crabtree – play-by-play
- Charlie Harrison – analyst
- Carly Hudson – sideline reporter
- Bradley Moore – gameday host and engineer
- Pat Greenwood – select broadcasts, in addition to ESPN+ duties
“We’re excited to begin this new venture with Cumulus Media,” Crabtree said. “It was clear how eager they were to get involved with Mobile’s team. Their enthusiasm for all things South Alabama truly jumped off the page. Their platforms will provide JagNation with great coverage across the Gulf Coast.”
Streaming as a Priority, Not an Afterthought
Crabtree was candid about why the app matters as much as the airwaves.
“The way listeners consume radio is changing,” he said. “We’re making every effort to ensure our broadcasts remain as accessible and convenient as possible for our fans. Our expanded partnership with Sidearm Sports to utilize the Varsity Network app will give JagNation easy access to all Jags Radio Network broadcasts. Listeners will be able to start, pause, rewind, and fast-forward broadcasts, while also receiving notifications directly to their smart devices when a broadcast begins.”
Pausing and rewinding a live sports broadcast is not something terrestrial radio can offer. For fans who follow games while running errands or working, it is a genuine improvement.
Two New Weekly Shows
The coaches show, “Jags Live!”, moves to the Hargrove Club at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Presented by Circle K, it airs Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. Central on the Varsity Network app, running from Sept. 2 through Nov. 25, with a replay on JOX 660 AM and 104.1 FM-HD3. Crabtree and Greenwood host, joined weekly by coaches and student-athletes.
New to the schedule is “On Campus,” a talk show also hosted by Crabtree and Greenwood. It will recap the previous week, preview upcoming events and discuss both the Sun Belt Conference and the broader national college athletics landscape, with occasional guests and fan participation. The show airs Mondays at 2 p.m. on the Varsity Network app beginning July 13.
Hosting the coaches show inside Hancock Whitney Stadium rather than at a restaurant or sponsor location is a small but telling choice. It puts the program’s own venue at the center of its media presence, something the university could not do before the on-campus stadium opened.
Additional broadcast details are posted at usajaguars.com/radio.
Why Broadcast Reach Matters on the Gulf Coast
The University of South Alabama, based in Mobile, has worked in recent years to raise the profile of its athletic programs, and a dependable radio and streaming partnership is central to that effort. Jaguar fans are spread across the coastal region, from the Mississippi coast through the Alabama Gulf Coast and into the Florida Panhandle, and reaching them requires signals that travel.
The AM signal at 660, in particular, carries the advantage of distance: AM radio waves propagate far beyond the immediate market, especially after sunset, when most football games are played. Pairing that reach with FM clarity in the Mobile area and an HD subchannel gives the three-station network coverage that no single outlet could provide alone.
Changing How Fans Listen
The expanded use of the Varsity Network app reflects a broader shift in how audiences consume live sports. Listeners increasingly expect to start, pause, and rewind a broadcast, and to access an archive after the fact rather than relying on a box score. By making every broadcast available through the app and at JagNationTV.com, the program meets fans where they already are.
Cumulus Media’s footprint across Mobile, Pensacola, and Fort Walton Beach positions it to carry Jaguar content throughout the region the university considers its home territory. The addition of weekly coach and talk programming, staged from inside Hancock Whitney Stadium, further ties the media operation to the on-campus gameday experience that the university has built in recent years.
For a program seeking to grow its regional identity, consistent, accessible coverage is as much an investment in fandom as any single signing or facility upgrade.