The NFL Academy has officially overlapped the competition in Europe. Possibly several times over. The conclusion of their three-game stretch over the last few weeks showed the NFLA to be the best in Europe by far, as they never looked in realistic danger for a second. They started with a 74-21 domination over a top-ten programme in Europe in the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns Juniors. Followed by a 51-19 win over the second-best U20 in Europe, the Düsseldorf Panther. Finally, they finished off the trio of games with a 56-0 win over the Nurnberg Rams. To say there are levels to American football in Europe when it comes to the Academy is an understatement.
This brings us to the topic of discussion: what does the NFL Academy need to do now? They have the best athletes in Europe; Yahya Attia is the most recent to receive a division-one offer from the University of Colorado Boulder (home of NFLA graduate Kofi Taylor Barrocks). Jules Bouron, at quarterback, has officially signed with the Cégep de Chicoutimi in Canada, and countless other players have or will have Division One football in the coming years. So much so that we don’t have the time to mention all of them. The answer for the Academy, I believe, lies in the US. The competition isn’t enough in Europe anymore, and they have shown with wins over the IMG White team and state champions, Erasmus Hall, that they can play at a high national level in the United States. Many teams would be open to it, as there are over 16,000 high school football programmes in the country. The NFL Academy would immediately fit into the top 100 picture and, without question, would best several teams on that list. They benefit from a coaching advantage, as many of them have former NFL players and Europe’s finest coaches within their coaching arsenal. Pound for pound, they carry more Division One talent than most schools in the country, and given their success in Europe, confidence is sky high, but with the added chip on their shoulders of being “only a European team.”.
As for possible matchups, it is impossible to predict. As European American football culture goes, the Academy and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in Georgia are two iconic teams, but for different reasons. The Academy has kept the talent in Europe and shown that football can be done on an international level to an extremely high standard. Rabun Gap has had Europeans in their programme for 5+ years. At separate points over 2020–2022, being the second-best team in Georgia, with 60% of their roster being European athletes. Some of them, Linus Zunk, Darren Agu, and Marlin Klein, are now playing Division One football. This would be an interesting matchup, as Rabun Gap is ranking nationally at 71 in the country. However, any team in that ranking would be an interesting event.
Overall, with the clear dominance over European competition, it has become clearer that further expansion is needed to get the best from these elite athletes and continue to prove that Europe is a powerhouse in American football when it is cultured correctly. The international series announcements historically have been when the Academy announced their upcoming schedule, so that is expected this time as well. Until then, we just have to wait and see.