The NFL has revealed 10 young athletes in contention for one of flag football's top individual honors.
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Five girls and five boys have been selected as finalists for the 2026 NFL Flag Players of the Year awards, which recognize performance on the field along with leadership, sportsmanship and character.
The girls finalists are Maliyah Estrada of Ontario, California; Zahra Hill of Round Rock, Texas; Landry Johnson of Waxhaw, North Carolina; Sofia Lafontant of Danvers, Massachusetts; and Kate Mikuls of Shawnee, Kansas.
On the boys side, the finalists are Cruz Burton of Lawrenceville, New Jersey; Levi Huftalin of Mesa, Arizona; Quinn Miles of Overland Park, Kansas; Charlie Phillips of Nolensville, Tennessee; and James Rieger of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
One boy and one girl will ultimately be named NFL Flag Player of the Year.
The winners won't merely receive their awards at a youth tournament, either. They'll be recognized alongside some of football's biggest names at NFL Honors, which will air on Netflix during Super Bowl LXI week in January.
The finalists were selected following the NFL Flag Championships in Westfield, Indiana. That event featured roughly 3,500 athletes and more than 350 teams, including competitors representing all 32 NFL franchises and international teams from five continents.
With flag football continuing its rapid rise toward the 2028 Olympics, these 10 are getting noticed pretty early. And two of them will soon have an NFL award to prove it.
