20 Prospects From the 2026 Class Shine in GFL/SWFL FBU Game
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Southwest Florida came into their quarterfinal matchup with GFL with absolutely nothing to lose. The undisputed underdog in the contest, they came into the contest confident and ready to shock the world. However, the talent and depth of GFL would ultimately prove to be too much as they would win 41-12. The running clock in the second half made it nearly impossible for Southwest Florida (SWFL) to get back in the game, as GFL kept the pedal down.
GFL, who is going for its third straight national championship, rolled out athletes all over the field. When looking at this offense it all begins with the play of quarterback, Julian Lewis Julian Lewis 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Carrollton | 2025 GA . Lewis got the party started with his first touchdown pass of the night at 2:06 of the opening quarter. His next touchdown pass of the contest came late in the second quarter to put GFL up 20-6. Lewis saved his most impressive pass of the night for the last touchdown in the fourth quarter, as he threw a teardrop in the back right corner to slam the door on SWFL.
Lewis’ first touchdown pass of the night went to big #99 Deuce Geralds. Geralds, who is one of the top defensive line prospects in the country for the class of 2026, is used sparingly on offense. However, the big man lined up on the hash and ran a simple in route right across the goal line. He took a good shot from a SWFL defensive back but the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder wasn’t fazed by it in the least.
While Lewis will get the credit in the stat book for his second touchdown pass, it was the legs and vision of #83 Drew Maloney that did all the hard work. With 2:03 left in the second quarter Maloney took a short pass from Lewis and used some fancy footwork and dazzling moves to cut across the field horizontally, before turning on the afterburners and racing towards the front right pylon to put GFL up 20-6.
The final touchdown pass from Lewis on the night was, again, his most impressive throw as he dropped a beautiful ball on a fade route in the back right corner to #40 Jude Cascone Jude Cascone 6'3" | 220 lbs | TE Walton | 2026 State GA . Cascone, who has become one of Lewis’ most trusted targets during the tournament, was quiet in the first half before exploding in the second half. The 6-foot-2 tight end had four receptions after halftime, and none was bigger than the touchdown reception.
In addition to the passing game heroics, GFL featured a strong running attack spearheaded by the efforts of #4 Matthew Strickland. Strickland, the Bell Cow running back for GFL got the ball early and often in the game, carrying it on the first two plays from scrimmage on the night.
When it wasn’t Strickland gashing holes in the SWFL defense, GFL gave it to the kid they call “Man-Child”, Dylan McCoy. McCoy, who is built like an action figure, wore the opposing defense down with bruising runs up the gut all night long. He’s not a slow back by any stretch; in fact he’s nearly as fast as Strickland, however he was the thunder to Strickland’s lightning in the backfield.
The play of the night came with just one second left on the clock in the first half. Coming out of a timeout, the experienced GFL coaching staff dialed up a doozy. The traditionally straight forward GFL team beautifully executed a reverse that saw #1 Deronte Broughton live up to his nickname of “Speedy”, as he beat the SWFL defense to the pylon to go up 28-6 at half. Broughton also had a nice day on the defensive side of the ball with an interception.
Showing off the depth and talent of this team, GFL was not finished. The second half belong to running back #34 Jahmir Joseph. Joseph saw the bulk of the carries in the second half and consistently delivered when called upon. In fact, it was his third quarter touchdown run that initiated the running clock.
Much of the GFL offensive success was due in part to the play of their offensive line. The big guys up front were firing off the ball as a cohesive unit all game long. In addition to having a clear size advantage, they executed beautifully. #51 Preston Clark Preston Clark 6'1" | 250 lbs | OL Buford | 2026 State GA stood out to me specifically, as on one run play in the first half he drove a SWFL 25 yards down field.
Defensively for GFL, they played as advertised. The front of Geralds, Bryce Perry-Wright, Jordan Carter and Tyler Atkinson Tyler Atkinson 6'3" | 185 lbs | LB Grayson | 2026 State GA were more active than interstate 285 in Atlanta.
Perry-Wright was gobbling up blockers and required a double team on nearly every play.
Carter had a sack in the first quarter and joined Perry-Wright in making life miserable for SWFL along the front.
Atkinson, who was a finalist for FBU National Middle School Player of the Year, got it done on both sides of the ball. A future edge player at a P5 school had his pads popping on defensive and ran in a touchdown in the second quarter.
Southwest Florida played the role of David in this matchup of David vs. Goliath, but never quit—which was impressive. They were actually in the game early when #28 Marquis Young made a house call of 80+ yards on a kick return in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-6.
Running back #6 Deshon Jenkins had several powerful runs in the game, including the first play from scrimmage for SWFL that fired up the hometown fans.
Defensively, #44 Rahmasy Armstrong played fearlessly at linebacker all game. Giving up considerable size to the GFL offensive line and running backs, Armstrong was flying around for SWFL and making a number of nice sticks.
On the defensive front I liked what I saw out of big #52 James Johnson on the line. He matched up well with GFL in terms of size and was able to find his way into the backfield on a number of plays.
At corner, #4 Ira Dale had a tough assignment trying to keep the passing game of Lewis and GFL in check, but had two pass breakups. His banner play of the night came in the second quarter when he flipped his hips and broke on a quick slant route, batting it down.
In my opinion, the best player on the field for SWFL in the game was #9 Stanley Alfred. Alfred made his presence felt on both sides of the ball in this one. Throughout the game he played a mean, in your face, physical style of corner back and had to be near double digit tackles. He got busy on the offensive side of the ball as well, when he took a direct snap into the endzone early in the fourth quarter.
The final prospect who quietly had a nice night was GFL kicker/punter #75 James Gregory. The special teamers are often overlooked until they become the most important person on the field in crunch time. There was no crunch time in this game per-say, but Gregory had a few nice extra points and a beautiful punt early in the second quarter that netted out with a roll to be 73 yards.