‘Natural collaboration:’ University of Florida, Jacksonville Jaguars announce 4-year partnership

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s great to be a Florida Gator -- and a Jacksonville Jaguar!

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the University of Florida will partner together for the next four years, the University announced Monday.

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The partnership will include the UF and UF Health brands being “displayed prominently” at Jaguars games in Jacksonville and when the team plays in England, UF said in a news release.

“UF and the Jaguars will also join forces on marketing campaigns that amplify their shared values,” the release said.

The partnership, UF said, “does not address where the Jaguars will play their 2027 season while EverBank Stadium is being renovated.”

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In May, when the deal to renovate the stadium was being presented, Jaguars President Mark Lamping said it was down to either Orlando or Gainesville for where the team would play in 2027.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the University of Florida beginning with our 30th anniversary season,” Lamping said in the news release. “With UF’s proximity to Jacksonville and their investment in our city in higher education and health care, it’s a natural collaboration between our two institutions.”

The higher education investment in Jacksonville includes a UF graduate campus in the River City that will focus on financial and medical technologies. Action News Jax told you in March 2023 when a three-year, $200 million partnership between UF and the City of Jacksonville was approved by the City Council.

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UF said that the site for the new graduate campus in Jacksonville is still being decided. We told you last month that it’s a possibility that the campus could take the site where the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, which are northwest of EverBank Stadium, currently sits. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s budget allows for funds to move the Fairgrounds to the Westside.

Until a site is decided upon, UF said that classes will start in the fall 2025 semester in a temporary space inside the JEA building downtown.

The cost of the partnership with the Jaguars will be paid for with private funds, the University said.

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