Georgia and Florida will continue to play in Jacksonville, Fla., through the 2025 season, the schools announced Wednesday.
The two schools issued an official statement on this. The contract was due to expire after the 2023 season, but now the two teams will meet in Jacksonville in 2024 and 2025.
“We are pleased with the decision to exercise the option to keep the game in Jacksonville for 2024 and 2025,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said. “We look forward to the discussions, which I am sure will continue over the next few years, to explore all options for 2026 and beyond. We continue to value the working relationship we have with the University of Florida and the City of Jacksonville.”
Jacksonville is expected to undertake renovations to its stadium at some point in the future, outgoing Mayor Lenny Curry detailed earlier this month. Curry had said renovations that are ongoing would result in the series having to be played in a different location for two seasons.
While Kirby Smart has preferred to play this series as a home-vs-home game, it will continue as a neutral game for at least the next three seasons.
“The city of Jacksonville was a historic venue for one of the greatest rivalry games in all of college football,” said Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin. “We’re excited to play the game in Jacksonville for two more seasons.”
Smart has stated that the recruiting benefits of a home game fuel his desire to host the game in Jacksonville.
“When it comes down to it, everything comes down to a very, very basic element: money first and recruiting and attracting good players second,” Smart said in October. “I have a strong belief that we will be able to sign better players as we have more opportunities to bring them to campus. But I also think that there is a financial factor involved: having the game there and possibly making more money for the university there. You have to weigh both and make really good decisions.”
Georgia and Florida will meet in Jacksonville, Florida on October 28 this year. Georgia has won the last two games of the series, with the Bulldogs beating Florida 42-20 in 2022.
Georgia and Florida have met in Jacksonville every year since 1933. A notable exception came in the 1994 and 1995 seasons when the game was played as a home game while the stadium was being renovated. Florida won both competitions.