Jaguars-sponsored First Coast flag football teams have a chance to play on national TV

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been sponsoring teams in the NFL Flag Championships since 2016.

One, which included highly recruited high school prospects Jaime Ffrench and Hylton Stubbs of Mandarin and Naeem Burroughs of Bolles, made it to the championship game in Las Vegas four years ago.

This year, the NFL Flag Championships are getting serious TV time and two of the Jaguars-sponsored teams could be in the thick of it.

The Jaguars PREP boys 15 and under and girls 18 and under teams, along with a Jacksonville Police Athletic League 9 and under team, will be among 280 teams competing in the NFL Championships beginning on Thursday at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

For the first time, the tournament will be aired on 10 ESPN, ABC and Disney cable and digital platforms.

The three First Coast teams survived a regional tournament last spring at the Clay County Fairgrounds where they played as many as seven 24-minute games in one day.

All-First Coast: Meet the best in 2024 high school flag football for Northeast Florida

"They're all super athletes and well-deserving," said Jaguars PREP 15U coach David Price, before the team held a practice on July 10 at the EverBank Stadium Flex Field. "They're really excited about the chance to play on national TV. They're going to get a lot of exposure and it will be a huge platform for them and for flag football."

"To go out there and represent our city and play against the best in Canton, and for the Jaguars to give us this opportunity, will be an amazing experience," said Asher Ghioto, who plays pass rusher and receiver.

RG3, Tedy Bruschi in the TV booth

Nearly 3,000 youth will compete in the event. The TV schedule won't be finalized until the first round of games is completed on Thursday but all games will be on ESPN+ and NFL+, 20 games will be on YouTube, six on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and six on NFL Network.

Should the teams make it to the championship finals on Sunday, they could be aired on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes.

Former NFL quarterback and 2012 Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III and play-by-play commentator Mark Jones call the 18U girls tournament and three-time Super Bowl winner Tedy Bruschi and play-by-play commentator Tom Hart will call the 15U boys’ tournament.

Flag team offers a glimpse of the future

The flag teams have 10-player rosters, with five starters. The flag game, on a smaller field, is obviously pass-centric.

Nine of the 10 Jaguars 15U players will be on high school rosters this season and some are already attracting attention from college recruiters and services, such as Brysen Wright (Mandarin), TJ Williamson (Yulee), Jackson Visconti (Creekside), Ty Keister (Englewood), Xander Edwards (Bolles), Mike Conner (Oakleaf) and Ghioto (Bolles).

"We knew we had the talent to get here at the regional," Price said. "They're all super-quick and they're all playmakers. We can get real creative with the play-calling."

Adriel Rocha, the Jaguars Vice-President for Community Impact and Football Development, said the team is paying for all travel, lodging and meals for the 15U boys and 18U girls teams and the Jags will have representatives on hand to help get the players to their practice and game sites, and to activities such as a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rocha also doesn't hold back about his enthusiasm for the talent on the 15U team.

"We sponsored a team that had Jaime Ffrench, Hylton Stubbs and Naeem Burroughs and they're all four- and five-star players," he said. "They're going to do great things in college football and I wouldn't surprise anyone to see them on an NFL roster. The kids on the teams this year are some of the best athletes in Northeast Florida, so there's a good chance we'll be talking about them in the same way in a few years."

There also will be a bit of drama before the games begin on Friday. Ralph Graham Jr., the coach of the Jaguars PREP girls 18U team, is a finalist for NFL Flag Coach of the Year, which will be announced on Thursday.

TV broadcasts will reach 125 countries

ESPN signed a five-year media rights deal in February to air 32 hours of live coverage of the 18U girls and the 15U boys single elimination tournaments across the three-day championship, with at least six hours on linear television each day.

The broadcasts will be available in over 125 countries, including live coverage in Mexico, Brazil, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The tournament structure will begin with pool play on Thursday and a round of 16 on Friday. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be on Saturday and semifinals and championship games on Sunday.

The increased profile of the NFL Flag Championships comes at a time when the sport is gaining more international participation and exposure.

Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Games and when this year's NFL Championships participants visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they will see its first exhibit on flag football.

The NFL Championships will include co-ed teams from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Great Britain and Mexico.

According to the NFL, flag football is played by more than 20 million people in 100 countries and six continents. Girls represent the fastest-growing demographic group.

NFL Flag is an NFL-licensed property of more than 1,800 locally operated leagues and over 650,000 youth athletes in all 50 states and Canada for youth from 5-17 years old.

Who will be repping the Jaguars in Canton?

Here are the rosters for the two teams representing the Jaguars in the NFL Flag Championships, with their high school or college as of the fall of 2024:

• 15U Jaguars PREP boys: Mike Conner, Oakleaf; Xander Edwards, Bolles; Asher Ghioto, Bolles; Marquez Hicks, Trinity Christian; Ty Keister, Englewood; Jackson Visconti, Creekside; Tre Williams III, Riverside; TJ Williamson, Yulee; Brysen Wright, Mandarin; Messiah Frazier, Duval Charter. Coaches: Brian Traster, David Price.
• 18U Jaguars PREP girls: Lorena Clutter, Bolles; Tremesha Harris, Florida Gateway College (White); Ansley Hicks, Paxon; London Jenkins, Fleming Island ; Isabella Murray, Ponte Vedra; Emma Rayes, Ridgeview; Gaby Rourke, Atlantic Coast ; Mieke Rowe, University of Florida (Tampa Alonso); Isabella Tuccillo, Nease; Kiera Williams, Mainland. Coaches: Ralph Graham Jr., Brian Traster.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars-sponsored First Coast flag football teams have a chance to play on national TV