South Alumni Are Calling the Shots
Posted on August 28, 2025 by Sarah Waddell
This weekend the University of South Alabama Jaguars take to the field at Hancock Whitney stadium to face off against Morgan State. This marks the start of the 12th season of the Jags Radio Network, the crew responsible for broadcasting, calling the plays and providing commentary for Jaguar football. And, for the first time, each member is a South Alabama alumni – who also has ties to 97.1 The Prowl, South’s student-run radio station.
This year’s crew features communication majors JT Crabtree ‘14 and Carly Hudson ‘14, and history major Charlie Harrison ‘20, graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, and sports management and recreation studies major Bradley Moore ‘22 from the College of Education and Professional Studies.
Crabtree and Hudson give huge props to the communication department for what they are doing now. “My communications degree has helped immeasurably as a broadcaster,” explained Crabtree. “Getting real, on-the-air reps with 97.1 The Prowl gave me a foundation to jump-start my broadcasting career. Learning to use Adobe InDesign while taking my Editing and Layout class and working for The Vanguard helps me daily when I'm making my spotters charts in preparation for my next broadcast. The relationships I made set me up to get my first job offer before I even graduated. Without what I learned in the communication department, I would not have had the experience and knowledge to set me apart in an extremely competitive field.”
Carly Hudson is already a TV veteran, having hosted a top morning show in Raleigh, NC after graduation. “My degree in communication and the experiences I had with the TV and radio programs were critical for my career. It gave me the tools I needed to feel prepared to tackle an internship and feel confident to apply to jobs straight out of college,” she shared.
One of the advantages for students in the College of Arts and Sciences is the interdisciplinary approach to experiential learning. Often, skills learned in one liberal arts curriculum are imperative for a number of careers. Here’s an example from history major Charlie Harrison: “I probably use my research skills the most. I’m the one who likes to find all of the weird little stats and hunt down all the records. I’m always using the research skills I learned in school for that.”