Ariana Akey of
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) became the first high school flag football player to commit to a power conference program last week, announcing via social media that she will continue her career at Nebraska.
A two-time MaxPreps Colorado Player of the Year, Akey quarterbacked Mountain Vista to back-to-back 19-0 state championship campaigns over the past two seasons.
Akey has been one of the faces of the rise of girls flag football at
the high school level. She earned a chance to compete in the national team trials and was the AFC MVP in the NFL FLAG Showcase at the Pro Bowl in February.
Mountain Vista quarterback Ariana Akey, a two-time Colorado Flag Football Player of the Year, committed to Nebraska last week, becoming one of the first power conference commits in the country. (PHOTO: Tim Bourke)
A multi-sport star at Mountain Vista, Akey compiled 8,980 career passing yards with 171 touchdowns through the air while adding 2,769 yards and 35 more scores on the ground. Defensively, she recorded 102 flag pulls, 10 interceptions and four sacks.
As flag football continues to grow at the collegiate level, Nebraska has been at the forefront of some major recruiting developments. In January, Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule paid a visit to junior quarterback
Makena Cook of
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) to make a verbal offer to play in Lincoln. Nebraska plans to begin intercollegiate competition in the spring of 2028.
