USA FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFFS FOR 2024 U.S. JUNIOR FLAG FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAMS

USA Football names eight coaches to lead next wave of elite flag football players 

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, the sport’s governing body and the only organization that creates and leads the U.S. Flag and Tackle National Teams, announced the coaching staffs that will lead the U.S. Junior Flag National Teams against the best international competition in the 2024 Junior International Cup in Los Angeles this coming July.  

This past year marked a period of unprecedented exposure and success for flag football. In October, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added flag football to the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, drawing applause from international players around the world. Flag football is played by millions worldwide in more than 100 countries. Multiple members of the Junior Flag National Teams will be old enough to compete for roster spots on the men’s and women’s Olympic teams in 2028.  

USA Football fields Junior Flag National Teams for boys and girls at the 15U and 17U levels in addition to the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Flag National Teams. At last summer’s Junior International Cup in Charlotte, the junior teams faced National Teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico and Panama on their way to sweeping the gold medals. Japan finished second in all four groups.  

All USA Football international events, including the Junior International Cup, follow the International Federation of American Football’s five-on-five rules to promote and maintain a consistent style of play in competition and prepare young athletes for future international events. 

U.S. Boys’ National Team Coaching Staffs 

Johan Betancourt, 17U Head Coach  

Betancourt enters his second year as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Boys’ 17U Flag National Team. The Miami, Fla. native played flag football for more than a decade, including competing at the Top Gun level as a quarterback in four-on-four and five-on-five formats.  

Betancourt has more than ten years of experience coaching flag football across programs such as RYAN Football and Defcon in seven-on-seven. His teams have won more than half a dozen NFL Flag national championships and several seven-on-seven major tournaments.  

Betancourt is a physical education teacher at Gulliver Prep in Miami, where he has worked as a coach on the tackle football team. He has coached and mentored more than 30 athletes that have advanced to the collegiate level.

Andy Baca, 17U Assistant Coach  

Baca played quarterback for his high school’s varsity tackle football team for three years before continuing his career in college. The Miami, Fla. native began playing competitive flag football at age 17 and won multiple tournaments and championships in four-on-four and five-on-five formats.  

Baca began coaching flag football when he was 20 years old and has coached in RYAN Football and for the middle school he works at. His school’s program has won multiple league championships in the past six seasons. Baca also takes pride in helping students prepare to play flag football in high school and beyond.  

Rudy Fernandez, 15U Head Coach  

Fernandez joined the U.S. National Team Program in 2023, helping to lead the U.S. Boys’ 17U Flag National Team to a gold medal in the Junior International Cup as an assistant coach. This will be the Las Vegas, Nev. native’s first year serving as head coach of the U.S. Boys’ 15U Flag National Team. Fernandez played flag football for 15 years and has two decades of coaching experience, dating back to 2003.  

In 2005, Fernandez founded RYAN Football in memory of his late brother, Ryan, who embodied a team-oriented and giving spirit. Under Fernandez's leadership, RYAN Football has won numerous championships, including Beast of the East tournaments, Let it Fly National Championships, USFTL National Championships, NFL FLAG Regional Championships, NFL FLAG National Championships and many other tournaments. 

In addition to coaching flag football, Fernandez had a successful stint coaching tackle football, winning a conference championship during his three years at Palmer Trinity School. 

Throughout his coaching career, Fernandez has mentored more than 30 players who went on to compete in college athletics. 

Todd Thomson, 15U Assistant Coach 

Thomson earned Tom Flores High School Coach of the Week honors from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He is the head coach at Desert Oasis High School girls’ flag team in Las Vegas, Nev. Thomson was the Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Coach of the Year in 2023, when Desert Oasis won the 2023 4A State Championship. He also coached the Desert Oasis boys’ soccer team to a 14-4-2 record and a 4A state semifinal appearance.

Thomson is the head coach of the powerhouse Apex Predators 14U and 17U teams at the club level.  

U.S. Girls’ National Team Coaching Staffs 

Matthew Hernandez, 17U Head Coach 

Hernandez led the U.S. Girls’ 15U Flag National Team to gold at the 2023 Junior International Cup as an assistant coach before accepting his current position as head coach of the 17U team. The Tampa, Fla. native brings 19 years of girls’ flag football coaching experience into his new role.  

Hernandez led the Alonso High School flag football team to national prominence in the girls’ seven-on-seven flag football world. His team are three-time Florida High School Athletic Association State Champions and achieved an overall record of 178-44 with nine district titles, two state runner up finishes and two state titles in 17 seasons under his leadership.  

Hernandez was recognized as the Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2023. He also received NFL FLAG Coach of the Year honors in 2022 and was the 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach of the Year.  

Alonso High School was featured in a national Nike advertising campaign in the Stronger Than One: Lose Count video, highlighting the sport’s expansion on a national level. In 2022, Hernandez’s team was featured in the first ever football game played on the Nike World Headquarters campus as part of the 2022 Nike Kickoff Classic.   

Over the past few years, Hernandez has ventured into the youth five-on-five space, coaching girls’ teams ranging from 8u to 17u to several regional championships and participation in national tournaments.

Angellica Grayson, 17U Assistant Coach 

Grayson was a member of the U.S. Women’s Tackle National Team that won a gold medal at the 2017 IFAF Women's Tackle World Championship. The Lewisville, Texas resident and Fort Worth native was an elite women’s tackle football player for the Texas Elite Spartans and several other teams during his career. Grayson, who eventually became a linebacker coach for the Texas Elite Spartans, won six championships in tackle football, made seven all-pro teams and was even a league Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.  

“I am a champion as a player, and my next challenge is to become a champion as a coach,” said Grayson. “Being able to inspire the next generation to be involved in the game will help create strong women leaders. I believe in giving back and teaching everything I know. Giving the ladies representation and resources for success is something I am truly grateful for.” 

Grayson worked with the Washington Commanders in 2021 as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. She coached the University of St. Mary’s women’s flag football team in its first two seasons, helping to establish the school’s NAIA program. Across Grayson’s two seasons with the program, 15 players earned First Team, Second Team, or honorable mention accolades from the conference.  

Following her time coaching in college, Grayson worked with the Los Angeles Chargers as the team’s first Manager of Football Development to help support and inspire the next generation of athletes.  

Willy Perez, 15U Head Coach 

Perez joined the U.S. National Team staff in 2023, leading the U.S. Girls’ 15U Flag National Team to gold in the Junior International Cup. The Miami, Fla. native enjoyed a successful playing career that lasted more than 20 years and included winning a club team world championship in five-on-five in 2020 and a national championship in four-on-four play.  

Perez has years of experience coaching youth football in South Florida, including two seasons coaching at Monsignor Edward Pace High School (Miami Gardens, Fla.). He currently serves as the head coach of the women’s flag football team at Baker University, which competes at the NAIA college level.  

Joshua Saunders, 15U Assistant Coach  

Saunders is one of the most successful flag football coaches in Florida state history. The Tampa, Fla. native and resident has coached Robinson High School’s girls’ team to eight Division 1A State Championships since he took over the program in 2006. He has received Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year honors several times.  

Since 2017, Saunders has coached club flag football teams at the University of Florida to five NIRSA National Championships. He also gained experience working as an assistant tackle football coach from 2003-2010.  

Saunders coached Deliah Autry, the 2013 Hillsborough County Outstanding Flag Football Player of the Year, while she was a student-athlete at Robinson High School. Autry has made the U.S. Women’s Flag National Team three times, winning a gold medal at the 2021 IFAF World Championship in Jerusalem, Israel, silver at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Ala. and gold at the 2023 IFAF Americas Championships in Charlotte, N.C.  

About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.