As flag football booms at college level, Georgia seen as prospect hotbed
Already known for its athletic depth in several sports, Georgia could soon be a talent hotbed for another Division I game.
Girls flag football’s recent emergence as a Division I sport — especially with Nebraska becoming the first Power 4 school to announce a flag football program — could quickly make Georgia a national talent producer. The state has been key to the growth of high school flag football, with more than 300 Georgia High School Association schools adding a team in the last nine years.
Georgia’s trailblazing status took another step forward when 58 of its players competed in its first statewide All-Star Game. The conclusive event of the Atlanta Falcons’ inaugural Girls Flag Football Week featured guest speaker Diana Flores, quarterback of the Mexican national women’s flag football team and star of the NFL’s Super Bowl flag football commercial last month.
Nebraska is one of 12 schools to add women’s flag football as a D-I varsity sport, according to a YahooSports report. Charleston Southern was the latest D-I school to do so since the NCAA added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports Program on Jan. 16.
The sport is more widely established at the NCAA’s Division II and Division III levels, as well as in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes and National Junior College Athletic Association. Many of those smaller schools have already tapped into Georgia’s high school talent.
“Some of those (schools) are pulling Georgia girls for the grit and just the determination that they offer,” Columbus coach Chris Grier said. “It’s a different style of flag, you know. It’s more of an all-around athlete.
“So a lot of these schools are coming from Maryland, Kansas and North Carolina, and they’re looking for those Georgia girls because they know they play flag right.”
Emmanuel University coach Terry Allen leads one of the only varsity college teams in Georgia. The former 12-year NFL running back is in his second season with the program, his first with a full offseason of high school recruiting.
Allen, a Commerce native, hasn’t had to look much further than his home state to build his roster.
“Georgia is a hotbed for football, period,” Allen said. “So a lot of these girls, their brothers play high school football, so a lot of them have been in the backyard or out there playing ball with their brothers.
“So their skill set is pretty good for the girls that have been around the game for a while.”
Locust Grove senior receiver Rayna Brown has received scholarship offers from several smaller schools. Brown plans to play college flag football, though she hasn’t yet decided where.
As the sport continues to grow nationally, Brown is also willing to keep her options open throughout her college career.
“That’s what I’m thinking about: Maybe do two years to get some experience under my belt, then over the years, when more D-I schools offer flag football, I can go to the transfer portal after those two years,” Brown said. “And I’d already have that experience, so I feel like that might be the best route for me.”
Players at smaller schools might not have to wait long to start evaluating their options, as more Division I schools have expressed interest. GHSA girls flag football consultant Ernie Yarbrough has seen more national brands take steps toward establishing varsity teams.
“People would be surprised. Here in the Southeast, there are already some of our notable schools that are already looking into it,” Yarbrough said.
Yarbrough added that “a couple of ACC schools” have questioned him about starting flag football programs, along with several “midmajors.”
The movement has helped high school flag football grow. The GHSA will add an extra division in 2026 to accommodate the increasing number of participating schools, and Yarbrough expects the sport to move from areas to regions — like tackle football — in the next two years.
High school flag football’s local perception has shifted, too. The game was sometimes seen as a “secondary sport” for years, a way to stay in shape between “primary sports” like softball and basketball.
Grier has seen that change over the past few years.
“Before, it was also a problem with parents where I’ve invested all these years into softball, or we’re trying to get a scholarship to go to Alabama or whatever,” Grier said. “Well, now it’s going to be, ‘You can go to Alabama for flag,’ and you can have little leagues and all this stuff.
“It’s just going to have this funnel pipeline system, and it’s going to be right up there with those top sports that are already being developed.”
Flag football hasn’t just made girls consider switching sports. For Luella senior linebacker Courtney Emmons, it’s made her consider switching career paths.
Emmons has been a member of the Junior ROTC program since her eighth grade year. Enlisting in the military after high school has been her goal for years.
Then college flag football became an option.
“I’m and ‘A’ and ‘B’ honor roll student. I do what I have to go to get through, but it’s not a thing for me,” Emmons said. “But to go to the next level, that would be a great experience just to continue it and see where that could lead.
“It’s going to be in the Olympics now in 2028 and, you know, it would be great to be a part of that.
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
