First Down Magazine's IFL 2026 Season Awards!

Pasquale Basile
2 days ago
4 min read

With the Italian Bowl 2026—the 45th edition in Italian football history—just a week away, it is time to present awards to the top players of the season that is now drawing to a close.

Ahead of the grand finale, the Italian editorial team at First Down Magazine is announcing its picks for the season's top players in Italian Football’s Top tier.

The categories are:

MVP (Most Valuable Player)
OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year)
DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year)
MIP (Most Improved Player)
Italian Player of the Year
OROY (Offensive Rookie of the Year)
DROY (Defensive Rookie of the Year)
Coach of the Year

MVP: Andrea Fimiani (Guelfi Firenze)

The Italian quarterback for Guelfi Firenze is wrapping up another monster season, further cementing his status as the main star in the IFL firmament.

2,416 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, 972 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, and a completion rate of 137 out of 199 attempts with just five interceptions all season—need we say more?

It is his contribution—alongside that of his receivers and running backs—that allows the Guelfi to once again contend for a title, potentially the third in the "Viola" team's twenty-five-year history.

OPOY: Frankie Stola (Guelfi Firenze)

It must be admitted that choosing the best offensive player was more difficult than expected this year.

In a three-way contest between Frankie Stola—the league's top scorer among non-QBs—Ethan Greenfield, a highly experienced running back who performed exceptionally well for the Giaguari Torino, and Cameren Grodhaus, an improvised quarterback who revitalized the Dolphins Ancona's prospects, the choice ultimately fell on the Guelfi's Italian-American player.

The Florence-based import player scored 18 touchdowns during the whole season and racked up 1,134 yards—the only player on the reigning Italian champion squad to hit the four-figure mark in combined rushing and receiving yards.

Now in his second season in Tuscany, Stola has become a well-oiled cog in the Guelfi Firenze machine, as the team will attempt to repeat as Italian champions this Saturday night.

DPOY: Jaylin Parnell (Panthers Parma)

Also retained by the Parma squad for the 2026 season, the Panthers' import player served as the stalwart of the team's defense.

In his third season wearing the black-and-silver, Parnell recorded 48.5 tackles (38 solo and 21 assisted), 4.5 sacks for 31 yards, 8.5 tackles for loss for 47 yards, and a fumble recovery for 18 yards, establishing himself as one of the league's top defenders.

Many believe that without Parnell, the Panthers' defense would falter and collapse. Will the Parma defense be able to stand tall in Ferrara?

MIP: Riccardo Duranti (Giaguari Torino)

Despite their exit in the semifinals—the team's first such appearance in 35 years—the Giaguari won a gamble by opting for an Italian quarterback rather than scouting the market for an import signal-caller.

Insiders had long known that Riccardo Duranti possessed something special. The player from San Carlo Canavese—who also boasts experience abroad with the Aalborg 89ers—performed impressively this year, finally cementing his status among the stars of Italian football.

The Italian QB recorded 775 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 50.7% of his passes (69-of-136) with 6 interceptions during the regular season; in the playoffs, he finished with 323 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 26 of 41 passes with one interception.

Italian Player of the Year: Matteo Ghelfi (Panthers Parma)

2026 was a breakout year for Matteo Ghelfi, who led the Panthers' offense to the final with his touchdown-scoring performances.

The wide receiver—born in 2002—scored a total of 11 touchdowns across the regular season and playoffs, significantly improving upon his stats from the previous year, when he recorded just three TDs, all during the regular season.

Will the final be his springboard to stardom in European football? Only time will tell.

OROY: Lorenzo Cinelli (Lazio Marines)

Having arrived quietly from the 9FL—though already part of the youth national team setup—Lorenzo Cinelli made an immediate impact on the senior football stage.

Playing on loan from Legionari Roma, he tallied 38 receptions, 4 touchdowns, and 464 yards across eight games this season—numbers that also earned him a call-up to play in Europe with the Firenze Red Lions in the AFLE.

Despite an unfortunate early exit from the season, the Lazio Marines have successfully showcased a player with a bright future in our sport.

DROY: Marco Fiorini (Dolphins Ancona)

Ancona has long been a hotbed of talent, and another standout player may well have emerged from the Adriatic coast of the Marche region.

Eighteen-year-old Marco Fiorini was one of the season's major revelations, thanks to his impressive stats. His final tally for the campaign included 31.0 tackles (27 solo and 8 assisted), 6 sacks for 45 yards, 7 tackles for loss for 47 yards, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.

Unfortunately, his season ended with his team's elimination in the semifinals—a bitter conclusion for a squad that had struggled early on but managed to bounce back.

Coach of the Year: Fabrizio Bocci (Guelfi Firenze)

If the Guelfi are aiming for a second consecutive Italian title, much of the credit goes to someone who knows the "Viola" organization inside out.

A long-time member of the Tuscan coaching staff, he stepped up from the sidelines to take over as head coach, living up to the high expectations set by experts during the preseason.

Eight wins out of eight, 377 points scored and 115 conceded (boasting both the best offense and best defense of the regular season), and an active winning streak in Italy that stretches back 21 games.

Since league play resumed in 2021—following the cancellation of the previous year due to the coronavirus—Guelfi Firenze have reached the final five times. They missed out only on the 40th edition of the Italian Bowl, falling in the semifinals to the Panthers Parma (who went on to win the title in Piacenza in overtime against the Seamen Milano). Since then, Florence has consistently proven itself to be one of the top teams on the Italian scene.