The NFL’s UK based Academy program has announced its game schedule for the upcoming season as the program marks the start of the 2025-26 academic year.
Welcoming 68 individuals from 20 different countries to the roster, the NFL’s elite player development program based in Loughborough, U.K., supports talented student athletes from across the world.
Following strong performances during the 2024 season, the Academy will once again face key matchups against four highly regarded U.S. high school teams.
The team’s season will kick off in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 22nd against The Hun School, New Jersey. The game will take place as part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) ahead of the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
The season’s second game is scheduled for a week later, with the team travelling to the U.S. to take on the Edgewater Eagles in Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 29th. The match-up represents a rematch of the sides’ thrilling 2024 meeting in Loughborough, in which Edgewater claimed victory by 51-45.
The highlight of the season will come on Oct. 8th, when the NFL Academy return to the field at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They will face off against 16-time State and 3-time National champions, St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tickets for the game are available to purchase via Ticketmaster, with all proceeds going to support the NFL Foundation UK and NFL Academy.
The final match-up against U.S. high schools sees the NFL Academy return to the U.S. for a meeting with IMG Academy in Florida. Having played the state IMG team for the past three seasons here in Europe, the NFL Academy will now play the IMG National team for the first time.
On the sidelines, Steve Hagen will also continue in his role as Head Coach for a third season, seeking to build on the program’s success to date. 2025 will see over 40 NFL Academy alumni playing NCAA college football, with 27 set to feature in Division I.
“It’s always a challenge to blend the old with the new so we’re excited to see what the new players can bring to the upcoming season,” said Head Coach, Steve Hagen. “We look forward to continuing to build on our past successes and helping all our player to achieve their fullest potential, both on the field and in the classroom.”
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NFL’s UK Based Academy 2025-26 Season Schedule:
- Aug. 22: The Hun School – Dublin, Ireland
- Aug. 29: Edgewater Eagles – Edgewater, Florida, U.S.
- Sep. 13: Dusseldorf Panther – Loughborough, U.K.
- Sep. 21: BNL National – Loughborough, U.K.
- Sep. 27: Manchester Titans – Manchester, U.K
- Oct. 8: St Thomas Aquinas Raiders – London, U.K.
- Oct. 17: IMG Academy – Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
- Nov. 14: Mexican Academy – Madrid, Spain
- Nov. 15: Madrid U21 All-Stars – Madrid, Spain
NFL’s UK Based Academy 2025-26 Roster:
| Country | Athlete(s) |
| Argentina (1) | Hugo Chigozime Arias Okoro (DB) |
| Austria (2) | Luca Wolf (TE), Felician Weissensel (DL) |
| Belgium (1) | Stan Pichon (WR) |
| Canada (4) | Viktor LaChambre (QB), Nathan Morris (RB), Andrew Gomon (RB), Zian Iseghohi (OLB) |
| Denmark (4) | Emil Løkkegaard (QB), Julius LeFevre (OL), Silas Floche (TE), Mikkel Ngassa (DB) |
| England (20) | Bobby Bridges (QB/K), Didi Georgiou (RB), Kristian Abel (RB), Ben Schneller (WR), Noah Prasad-Smith (WR), Malachy McMahon (WR), Seb Delzoppo (WR), Adam Ibirionke (OL), Tyrone Stolarczyk (OL), Theo Andall (OL), Barney Short (OL), Hugo Short (TE), Devon Myrie (TE), Corey Pyke (DL), Che Figueroa (DL), Max O’Grady (LB), Ashley Daniel (DB), Jayden Smith (DB), Ryan Crooks (DB), Nickson Massa (DB) |
| Finland (4) | Rene Rautiainen (WR), Oliver Lehtinen (OL), Vili Haapasalo (TE), Terho Vainio (LB) |
| France (2) | Sam Drouet (LB), Jean-Placide Makina (OLB) |
| The Gambia (1) | Aziz Jaye (OL) |
| Germany (16) | Felix Merrow (WR), Jamil Secka (WR/DB), Carlos Speidel (WR), Tom Brinkmann (OL), Bruno Werner (OL), Niko Kampas (OL), Johannes Mager (DL), Benny Kubat (DL), Leo Schoske (DL), Joel Queisser (LB), Yasir Sani (LB), Sem Wohlgemuth (OLB), Adeola Werner (OLB), Moritz Strempel (OLB), Max Bartholomy (DB), Shaq Cisse (DB) |
| Mexico (2) | Armando Gamborino (WR), Emiliano Albarran (OLB) |
| Nigeria (2) | Augustine Irek (DL), Benson Jerry (OLB) |
| Norway (2) | Magnus Town (OL), Tobias Gadeberg (DL) |
| Portugal (1) | Gabriel Goncalo (DB) |
| Scotland (1) | Jude Colvin (LB) |
| South Africa (1) | Max Louw (OL) |
| Spain (1) | Tom Gabarro (DB) |
| Sweden (1) | Edgar Wallen (RB), |
| Syria (1) | Shams Al Nusyrat (DL) |
| Trinidad and Tobago(1) | Brandon Bryant (DB) |
NFL Academy alumni currently playing Division 1 College football:
- Darren Agu, United Kingdom (TE) – New Mexico State University
- Dimitri Madden, United Kingdom (DL) – Akron University
- Seydou Traore, United Kingdom (WR) – Mississippi State University
- Freddie Pelling, United Kingdom (OL) – Campbell University
- Samuel Isiguzo, United Kingdom (DB) – Bryant University
- Sam Fenton, United Kingdom (QB) – University of South Florida
- Tunde Mkparu, United Kingdom (DB) – Bryant University
- Kofi Taylor-Barrocks, United Kingdom (LB) – University of Texas at El Paso
- Peter Clarke, United Kingdom (TE) – Temple University
- Emmanuel Okoye, Nigeria (TE) – University of Tennessee
- Dominic Braesch, Germany (OL) – University of North Alabama
- Daniel Akinkunmi, United Kingdom (OL) – University of Oklahoma
- Luke Yau-Gayle, United Kingdom (DL) – University at Buffalo
- Timi Oke, United Kingdom (DB) – Northwestern University
- Lopez Sanusi, Ireland (DL) – Boise State University
- Pape Abdoulaye Sy, Senegal (OL) – Boston College
- Benjamin Kienz, Germany (OL) – Kennesaw State University
- Yahya Attia, Austria (OL) – University of Colorado Boulder
- Clinton Azubuike, Nigeria (DL) – Vanderbilt University
- Akram Elnagmi (OL)- University of Pittsburgh
- Arthur De Boachie (DB)- Boise State University
- Andy Quinn (K/P)- Boston College
- Kevin Bentin (LB)- Long Island University
- Pharrell Harewood (P)- Nicholls State University
- Joe Kirby (OL)- Nicholls State University
- Matti Kruger (DL)- Bucknell University
- Samu Suominen (OL)- University of Massachusetts Amherst
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Football League (NFL).
About the NFL Academy:
The NFL Academy program offers talented student athletes a pathway to combine their full-time education with intensive training in American football, under the guidance of a professional coaching team. The program began in the U.K. serving student-athletes from across the world and has expanded recently to Australia to also service student-athletes across the APAC region.
In the U.K., the NFL Academy is based at Loughborough’s world-renowned middle of sporting excellence and in partnership with Loughborough College and Loughborough University. The program promotes world class performance and the development of elite player pathways, supporting student athletes (aged 16-19) with NFL best practices and resources.
The NFL APAC Academy in the region, located on Australia’s Gold Coast, opened in Sep, 2024 in partnership with A.B. Paterson College and supported by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland State Government (for athletes aged 12-18).
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