Overlooked. Underestimated. The Firenze Red Lions are ready to prove everyone wrong

The Firenze Red Lions are one of the least talked about teams in the American Football League Europe. A brand new franchise from Italy, playing in a stadium dedicated entirely to American football, with a coaching staff that was reshuffled weeks before the season and a roster built from players that most other teams passed on. On paper, they look like a team that is simply happy to be here.

Dig deeper and a very different picture emerges. The Firenze Red Lions are full of players who have been underestimated, overlooked, and forced to fight for every opportunity they have ever had. That is not a weakness. In a first-year franchise, it might just be the most valuable thing a locker room can have.

Matthew McKay is the first quarterback in Red Lions history, and he has been waiting for this chance

Matthew McKay arrives in Florence as the very first starting quarterback in Firenze Red Lions franchise history. It is a title that carries meaning, and McKay has earned it the hard way.

The 26-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Frankfurt Galaxy, but injuries limited him to just 14 games across those two years. In the time he was on the field, he showed exactly what he is capable of: 221 completions for 2,731 yards, 20 touchdown passes, and a genuine ability to hurt defenses with his legs. He added 778 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 115 carries, making him one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in European football when healthy.

In Florence, McKay reunites with offensive coordinator Mike Mitchell, who was the offensive line coach in Frankfurt during his time with the Galaxy. That familiarity matters for a quarterback who has never had a full, uninterrupted season in Europe. Mitchell knows his strengths, knows how he moves, and knows how to build an offense around him. If McKay stays healthy, the Red Lions offense will surprise people.

A young and hungry offense with playmakers from across the globe

The Firenze Red Lions offense is not built on big names or proven European stars. It is built on players who see this as their chance to show what they can do.

At wide receiver, Devin Carter brings the most decorated background on the roster. After a college career at NC State and West Virginia strong enough to attract NFL attention, he played for the Carolina Panthers and added professional experience with the BC Lions in the CFL and the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. His route running ability and his feel for finding gaps between defenders make him McKay’s most reliable option in the passing game.

Aaron David joins as a homegrown receiver under the Spanish Solidarity Rule, which gives eligible Spanish players the chance to continue competing after the Madrid Bravos suspended operations ahead of the 2026 season. David brings German Bowl experience from his time with the Dresden Monarchs, where he scored a touchdown in the championship game against the Potsdam Royals. He is a proven performer who has competed across five countries and multiple leagues.

At running back, 19-year-old Simon Olaifa is one of the youngest players in the entire AFLE. The British talent played college football for the UWE Bullets before crossing the Atlantic to gain experience in the Canadian Junior Football League. He is raw, but the tools are there, and Florence gives him the opportunity to develop in a real professional environment for the first time.

Up front, the offensive line tells the story of just how international this roster is. Abraham Chacón was selected first overall in the 2025 LFA Draft in Mexico and is the very first player ever signed in Firenze Red Lions franchise history. Peter Hart, 27 years old and already a former head coach of the Swansea Titans, brings a level of football intelligence that is rare for a player his age. Together they anchor a line that is unproven in this league but driven to establish itself.

Built from everywhere, focused on one thing

The Firenze Red Lions defensive roster reads like a collection of players from every corner of the football world, bound together by one common thread: none of them got here easily.

Jakeen Harris leads the secondary. He spent five years at NC State and appeared in 48 games before a season-ending injury cut his 2023 short. He transferred to the University of North Carolina for his graduate year and led the team in tackles multiple times, finishing with 166 career tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. His ability to make plays and his experience as a starter at the college level make him the anchor the Red Lions defense is built around.

Trajon Cotton brings a different kind of story to the secondary. Rated the third-best safety in California coming out of high school and ranked 46th nationally, he was one of the most decorated prep players of his class. After starting at Oregon State and then transferring to the University of Montana, he appeared in 41 games with 33 starts, was named team captain in his final season, and was a semifinalist for the 2023 Campbell Trophy, widely known as the Academic Heisman. Most recently he played in Mexico’s LFA with the Dinos de Saltillo. He is a student of the game in every sense.

On the defensive line, Samuel Leppänen arrives from the Finnish football league with the physicality and energy to hold his own in a professional European environment. Lambert Jaden Ondoua is one of the most intriguing young players on the entire roster. He started playing in the UK with the Portsmouth Destroyers, moved to the Canadian Junior Football League, and earned a spot on the United Kingdom national team, an achievement that shows just how fast his development has been. At 21, Szabolcs Szöllősi brings European professional experience from the Fehérvár Enthroners to anchor the defensive backfield alongside Harris and Cotton.

A coaching staff that stepped up when the program needed it most

The Firenze Red Lions coaching story is, in many ways, the perfect reflection of the entire organization.

Bill Shuey was originally hired as special teams coordinator and secondary coach. When head coach Bart Andrus departed for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach the Chinese women’s flag football national team ahead of a potential 2028 Olympic pathway, and defensive coordinator Tom Mason also left, Shuey stepped into the head coach role without hesitation. He brings more than 25 years of coaching experience, including 10 years on the Philadelphia Eagles staff, four seasons with the Chicago Bears, three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently a stint with the Miami Dolphins. He was not supposed to be here in this role. Now he is, and he is ready. „I’m honored to step into the head coach role and grateful for the opportunity to lead this program,“ Shuey said. „My focus is on building a strong, disciplined football team here in Florence and establishing a culture rooted in accountability, growth, and winning.“

Offensive coordinator Mike Mitchell brings decades of championship experience across high school, college and international football. He has led teams to titles in Croatia and the United States and brings a creative, adaptable offensive approach to Florence. His familiarity with quarterback Matthew McKay from their shared time at the Frankfurt Galaxy gives him a head start in building the offense around his QB1. Paul Wulff stepped in as special teams coordinator and offensive line coach after Shuey’s promotion created a gap on the staff, and his background makes him exactly the right person for the role. Wulff knows the game from both sides of the sideline. As a player he lined up as a center at Washington State University before going on to play professionally for the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks and the New York/New Jersey Knights. That firsthand experience has shaped a coaching career that has taken him through Eastern Washington, Washington State, South Florida, Iowa State, and most recently California Polytechnic State University. The standout entry on his resume is a stint as offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers under Jim Harbaugh, giving him a direct taste of what NFL-level football looks and feels like.

Do not sleep on the Firenze Red Lions

The Firenze Red Lions are not anyone’s pick to win the AFLE in 2026. The roster is new, the franchise is brand new, and the coaching staff was reshaped just weeks before the season. Every single reason to doubt them is real.

But so is every reason to believe in them. McKay is a dual-threat quarterback with a point to prove after two injury-shortened seasons. Carter and David give him experienced targets on the outside. Shuey has more than two decades of NFL coaching experience and a clear vision for what this program is going to become. And across the entire roster, from Chacón in Mexico City to Ondoua in Portsmouth to Cotton in Montana, there is not a single player who has not had to fight to get to this point.

The best underdog stories are not written before the season starts. They are written on the field, one game at a time. The Firenze Red Lions have already started writing theirs.