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The mayor of Jacksonville said during a press conference on Tuesday that the city was “extraordinarily optimistic” that a new contract would be signed with the University of Florida and the University of Georgia that would keep the traditional rivalry game in Jacksonville from 2028 and beyond.
Mayor Donna Deegan said the city and the 2 universities had “made great progress in several months of meetings” and that she anticipated an official announcement on the continuation of the game in Jacksonville would come “very soon.”
“We are very optimistic and very excited about that,” Deegan said.
Will Florida-Georgia stay in Jacksonville? Mayor says announcement could come 'very soon' https://t.co/S5RHcG37KR via @jaxdotcom @GatorsFB @GeorgiaFootball
— Gsmitter (@gsmitter) October 29, 2024
The reason that the game wouldn’t continue in Jacksonville until 2028 is because EverBank Stadium will be undergoing a renovation project that will ship the Florida-Georgia battle to 2 other neutral sites in 2026 and 2027.
Following Tuesday’s press conference, Deegan said the official announcement on the continuation of the rivalry in Jacksonville could possibly come before kickoff of Saturday’s latest installment of the rivalry between the historical SEC powerhouses.
Kickoff of Saturday’s game is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, as the 2nd-ranked Bulldogs will look to avoid stumbling against the upset-minded Gators, who have been playing better football of late under embattled head coach Billy Napier.
“We’d love to have an announcement this week,” Deegan said. “We’re pushing to try to wrap things up … don’t know if that will happen.”
Jacksonville has hosted the Florida-Georgia game since 1933.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
