South Alabama Jaguars Land a New Radio Home as Cumulus Takes Over Broadcasts

The South Alabama Jaguars have landed a new radio home as Cumulus Media takes over as the broadcast partner for University of South Alabama athletics, with the multi-year agreement covering football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. The deal gives Cumulus’s Mobile stations the radio rights to Jaguar games, which had previously been held by a different broadcast partner.

What the Deal Covers

The agreement between South Alabama Athletics and Cumulus Media covers football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball, with additional coverage of Olympic sports and special events as the season and schedule dictate. The flagship station for Jaguar football will be a Cumulus-owned station in Mobile, with the broadcast team continuing to call games from the on-campus radio booth at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Cumulus also operates stations across the Gulf Coast region, and the new agreement is expected to extend Jaguar game coverage to listeners beyond the immediate Mobile market. Affiliates throughout south Alabama and the surrounding region will carry the broadcasts, giving the Jaguars broader reach than they have had under previous broadcast arrangements.

Why It Matters for the Program

Radio broadcast partnerships are a critical part of how college athletic programs build and maintain fan engagement. For a program like South Alabama, which plays in the Sun Belt Conference and competes against regional and national opponents, regular radio coverage helps fans follow the team even when they cannot attend games in person. The partnership with Cumulus gives the Jaguars a stable broadcast home for the foreseeable future.

Beyond the games themselves, the broadcast partnership includes pregame and postgame programming that extends the coverage around the games. That kind of programming is what builds listener habits over the course of a season, and it gives the Jaguars a way to communicate with their fan base beyond the games themselves.

What the Broadcast Team Looks Like

The broadcast team that calls Jaguar games has been part of the South Alabama broadcast for several seasons, and the team’s continuity through the change in broadcast partner is expected to give listeners a familiar voice for the games. The broadcast team typically includes a play-by-play announcer and a color analyst, with additional contributors joining for pregame and postgame coverage.

Cumulus has indicated that the broadcast team will continue to call games from the on-campus facilities, which means the pregame and postgame shows can incorporate interviews with coaches, players and athletics department staff. That kind of access is part of what makes local radio coverage valuable to college athletics programs, and it gives Jaguar fans a closer connection to the program than they would get from a national broadcast.

What Comes Next

The new partnership takes effect in time for the upcoming football season, and Jaguar fans can expect to hear the games on the Cumulus flagship station in Mobile and on affiliates throughout the region. The athletics department has signaled that it will work with Cumulus to promote the broadcasts and to make sure fans know where to tune in for each game.

Beyond the broadcasts themselves, the partnership may include additional programming that has not yet been announced. College broadcast partnerships often grow to include coach’s shows, postgame call-in programs and other content that gives fans more ways to engage with their favorite teams, and the Jaguars are expected to take advantage of those opportunities as the partnership matures.

How Jaguar Fans Can Listen

Fans who want to follow Jaguar games on the radio can find the flagship station and the affiliate list on the South Alabama Athletics website and through the athletics department’s social media channels. The flagship station’s signal reaches most of the Mobile metropolitan area, and the affiliate network extends coverage to communities throughout south Alabama and the surrounding region.

For fans who are outside the broadcast range, the Cumulus partnership is also expected to include streaming options that allow listeners to follow the games online. Streaming has become an increasingly important part of how fans follow their teams, and the Jaguars have signaled that they will work with Cumulus to make the streaming experience as accessible as possible.

Why Cumulus Wanted the Deal

Cumulus Media operates a portfolio of radio stations across the country, and its Mobile-area stations are among the most-listened-to in the region. The company has invested in sports programming in other markets, including partnerships with professional and college teams, and the South Alabama deal fits into a broader strategy of building sports franchises that listeners can follow throughout the year. Local college athletics are particularly attractive partners for radio broadcasters because they offer a consistent schedule of high-interest games that align with the listening habits of local audiences.

For Cumulus, the deal also represents a chance to deepen its connection to the Mobile community through one of the region’s most-followed sports programs. The Jaguars’ football games consistently draw some of the largest live audiences in the region, and the broadcast partnership gives Cumulus a steady stream of must-listen programming that complements the company’s other content.

What This Means for South Alabama Athletics

South Alabama Athletics has worked to build the Jaguars’ profile in the years since the program moved to the FBS level, and the new broadcast partnership is part of that broader effort. Stable broadcast relationships give the athletics department a reliable platform for promoting games, recruiting athletes and connecting with fans, and the multi-year nature of the Cumulus deal gives the program that stability for the foreseeable future.

The partnership also comes at a time when college athletics broadcasting is undergoing significant change, with new conference media deals and the rise of streaming platforms reshaping how fans follow their teams. By locking in a long-term radio partnership with an established broadcaster, the Jaguars have secured a piece of the broadcast landscape that is increasingly competitive.

How This Compares to Previous Partnerships

South Alabama’s previous radio partnerships have varied in length and scope, with different broadcasters carrying Jaguar games over the years. The new Cumulus deal is among the most comprehensive the program has signed, covering not just football but also men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. That breadth gives the athletics department a unified broadcast presence across multiple sports, which is what most major college programs aim for.

For listeners, the change in broadcast partner may mean a different station on the dial for Jaguar games, but the experience of listening should be familiar. Cumulus has indicated that the broadcast team, the pregame and postgame programming and the on-air presentation will all be designed to give fans the kind of coverage they have come to expect from Jaguar broadcasts.

What the Future Looks Like

As college athletics continues to evolve, broadcast partnerships are likely to take on even greater significance. Streaming, podcasts and social media have given programs new ways to reach fans, but traditional radio remains an important part of how fans follow their teams, particularly in markets like Mobile where local radio is still a primary source of news and entertainment. The new Cumulus partnership positions the Jaguars to take advantage of both traditional and emerging broadcast platforms, and it gives the program a stable foundation for the coming years.

How Fans Will Hear the Games

The Jaguar football broadcasts are scheduled to begin with a one-hour pregame show leading into kickoff, with the broadcast team providing analysis and interviews from the stadium. The postgame show typically runs for an hour after the game ends, with coach and player interviews and a recap of the day’s action. Basketball and baseball broadcasts follow a similar format, with shorter pregame and postgame segments.

What the Program Has Said

South Alabama Athletics officials have welcomed the new partnership and have signaled that they expect it to give Jaguar fans a more consistent and accessible broadcast experience. The athletics department has worked hard in recent years to expand the program’s broadcast presence, and the multi-year deal with Cumulus is part of that broader strategy.

How the Partnership Was Built

Multi-year broadcast partnerships of this kind typically come together through months of negotiation between the athletics department and the broadcaster, with both sides weighing the value of the relationship against the cost of carrying the games. Cumulus and South Alabama Athletics have a long history of collaboration, and the new agreement represents the formalization of that relationship into a multi-year commitment. The deal gives the Jaguars the kind of broadcast stability that is increasingly difficult to secure in the modern college athletics landscape.

What Comes Next for the Broadcasts

Listeners will be able to find the flagship station and affiliate list on the South Alabama Athletics website and through the program’s social media channels as the new partnership takes effect. Streaming options will also be available for fans who want to follow the games online, and Cumulus has indicated that it will work with the athletics department to make the broadcasts available across as many platforms as possible.