Blake Alderman, veteran UF reporter, joins Gators Online

Blake Alderman, one of the most respected and well-known sports journalists in the Florida market, has joined the staff at Gators Online. Alderman brings with him a wealth of experience and UF knowledge, having spent the past eight years covering the Florida football program and Gators recruiting for 247Sports.

“I’m extremely excited to join Gators Online,” Alderman said. “I have worked with or around Keith (Niebuhr), Corey (Bender) and Zach (Abolverdi) since I started in this industry. And I have a large amount of respect for all three. And I think we’re all like-minded in the sense that we want to give our readers the best coverage of all things Florida possible. I am so appreciative of (On3 CEO) Shannon Terry, and everyone who made this possible for me to be here. Covering Florida has always been a privilege to me, and something I don’t take lightly. I’m pumped to be a part of this great site and great team. And I will work my hardest to match the hard work the staff here has already been putting in.”

Alderman, a 2012 graduate of the University of Florida, will focus primarily on Florida Gators recruiting and team coverage at Gators Online — and he owns a wealth of knowledge in both areas. He has chronicled Florida athletics for more than a decade and been a force in the market during that period.

Alderman is a Polk County native. And today, he calls that area home with his wife Brooke, daughter Winter, and son Fox.

The Gators Online staff has high praise for Blake Alderman’s addition

—Niebuhr: “Blake Alderman has excelled at every stop and with every assignment. He is thorough and relentless when tracking down stories, intel and scoop. Recruits, coaches and player family members all respect and trust him. That allows him to break news and provide readers with incredible intel. And because Blake gets to know players as prospects, he’s able to provide invaluable insight once they become Gators. The most impressive thing with Blake is that he truly puts his subscribers first. Everything is geared toward giving them the best possible reader experience. This is a huge pickup for Gators Online, but most importantly for Gators Online subscribers.”

—Abolverdi: “Blake and I hit it off as soon as he started covering Florida in 2012. After becoming close friends over the past decade and watching him excel in this industry, and as a father and husband, I’m thrilled to now call Blake my teammate at Gators Online. I’ve worked the beat with him for more than a dozen years and witnessed his work ethic, passion and professionalism firsthand. He is a relentless reporter and a real one. Blake call things how he sees them and provides objective, straightforward coverage to readers that is well-sourced and researched. Our UF recruiting coverage will be unparalleled with him joining the site. And he’s another resource for us on team news as well. We are fortunate for Blake to call Gators Online home and he will make our community with his hustle, expertise and interactions. Let’s ride! He will make our community better.”

—Bender: “Adding Blake to the Gators Online team takes our recruiting coverage to the next level and shifts the market as a whole. Him and I have been covering Florida recruiting for nearly 10 years, so to finally be on the same team is a game-changer. He is as connected and professional as it gets.”