Florida Football Banquet Awards $137K to Student Athletes

Thirteen high school football players in Collier County, Florida walked into a banquet expecting recognition and walked out with life-changing scholarship money totaling $137,000.

The ninth annual National Football Foundation Collier banquet made history on February 7, 2026, when Naples billionaire David Hoffmann surprised every honoree with an extra $5,000. Half goes directly to each student athlete, and half supports their school's football program.

Gulf Coast High School's Javien Altine became the first student from his school to win the prestigious Joanne and George Downing Scholar-Athlete Award worth $10,000. The two-way player rushed for 1,240 yards and 16 touchdowns while recording 50 tackles on defense, all while maintaining the grades that earned him this honor.

"The fact that I got selected for this scholarship, I worked really hard for this," Altine said. His coach called him a "program-changing" player whose impact extended from the weight room to the classroom.

Immokalee High's Chris Germinal took home another top honor, the $10,000 Peter Aron Award of Excellence, despite seeing his senior season cut short by injury. The quarterback maintained a 3.8 GPA and expects to graduate with a 4.1.

"This trophy gave me another motivation because I doubted myself this year a lot," Germinal said, crediting his family and niece who looks up to him for keeping him focused on education.

The Ripple Effect

The generosity cascaded throughout the evening. Two Sellitto scholarships doubled from $5,000 to $10,000 each, bringing planned awards to $72,500 before Hoffmann's surprise announcement pushed the total past $137,000.

That's more than double last year's $56,000 in scholarship money, helping talented students pursue college dreams while rewarding their dedication to academics alongside athletics. Hoffmann, who owns the Florida Everblades hockey team, received the Matthew T. Sellitto Community Service Award for his philanthropy.

The banquet also honored former Lely quarterback Carter Quinn with the Courageous Player Award. Quinn has been fighting leukemia since December 2024 but attended the ceremony to be recognized for his resilience.

Altine's name will be permanently enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, a distinction that left him imagining the emotional moment when he visits.

Thirteen young athletes now have more resources to chase their dreams, and thirteen football programs gained funding to help the next generation of scholar athletes follow in their footsteps.