COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — This week, the top football players in the country are back in Southwest Florida, showcasing their skills at the annual Football University national championship. Hundreds of 10U and middle school teams from coast to coast are competing to be crowned the best of the best.
Described as the “Little League World Series of baseball meets AAU basketball” by Steve Quinn, managing partner of Football University, this event is akin to a Super Bowl for these young athletes.
“We’re going to be playing Dallas, Texas,” Jeron Jones, coach of 10U Richmond, Virginia, shared. “It’s going to be a historic game for us because it’s the first team in Virginia to make it here to the national championship. It’s an honor for Virginia to be playing a state like Texas. That’s like the football kingdom!”
The talent on display isn’t limited to the youth level. Thousands of high school freshmen players competed for the chance to showcase their skills at the annual FBU developmental week at Paradise Coast Sports Complex. The top 70 were invited, having either participated in the FBU Top Gun camps over the summer or received nominations.
“We’ll have kids out here that have actually have up to 10 or 12 offers already, Division One, Power Five offers,” added Quinn.
On Monday night, they got to cap it off in the Freshman All-American Bowl.
“Today we’re gonna play the biggest game of my life,” said Lely running back Nino Joseph. “I’m very blessed to play this game right here. Not many people can play this game.”
Of the seven Floridians selected, four hail from Southwest Florida, including Dunbar’s TJ Schley, Estero’s Fletcher Kane, and Naples-native St. Thomas Aquinas’s Derrick Baker.
“I think I’ve gone to FBU for the past four years, just constantly improving in my game, just learning,” Baker said. “I think this event is big. You can put your name on the map for any colleges you want to go to, you can use the film.”
The impact of FBU extends even to middle schoolers, as exemplified by Brady Quinn, First Baptist Academy’s quarterback. Among the six nominated for National Middle School Player of the Year, Quinn expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“That means so much to me,” Brady Quinn said. “Because growing up at FBU, I’ve always looked up to the older kids. And I just want to thank God for putting me in this position. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this.”
Football University has a rich history of showcasing the talent that has gone on to achieve greatness in the sport, including names like Trevor Lawrence, Christian McCaffrey, Bryce Young, Sam Howell, Cam Akers, Sony Michel, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“That’s one of the things that this tournament does is put kids on the next level and get an opportunity to get some exposure before anybody else knows who they are,” Steve Quinn emphasized.
The championship games conclude on Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Naples. For more information, visit the FBU website.
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