Darryana “Yana” Roberts is the kind of young athlete who shows why girls flag football is growing so quickly. NFL FLAG featured Roberts in its On The Rise series, highlighting a nine-year-old player whose speed, confidence, and joy for the game have already made her recognizable well beyond her own team.
The profile is not a recruiting story or a college-pathway announcement. It is a youth flag football snapshot: a young girl playing with personality, building an audience, and showing younger players that flag football can be fun, visible, and serious at the same time.
At a Glance
- Player: Darryana “Yana” Roberts
- Series: NFL FLAG’s On The Rise: Stars of Flag Football
- Age: Nine years old
- Team / Level: 9U Girls Elite
- Position: Running back
- Social Handle: @yanasofly
- Visibility: NFL FLAG says she has earned more than 20 million Instagram views
- Filming Context: Her interview was filmed at the 2025 NFL FLAG Championships
Why It Matters for Girls Flag Football
Roberts matters because she represents a different kind of flag football growth story. The sport is expanding through high school programs, college opportunities, NFL club support, and the Olympic pathway, but it is also growing through young players who make the game feel exciting to kids their own age.
NFL FLAG describes Roberts as a 9U Girls Elite running back with explosive speed, instinctive vision, and a natural feel for the game. That combination is easy for parents and coaches to understand: she is not only making plays, she is showing the confidence and creativity that flag football rewards.
Her audience also matters. A nine-year-old flag football player earning more than 20 million Instagram views says something about where the sport is headed. Young athletes are no longer waiting until high school or college to become visible. In flag football, personality, highlights, and community can travel fast.
What the NFL FLAG Profile Shows
The profile frames Roberts as more than a highlight player. NFL FLAG points to her speed and athletic instincts, but also to the joy she brings on and off the field. That part is important because girls flag football is still introducing itself to many families, schools, and younger athletes.
Roberts’ story also includes her family. NFL FLAG notes that her mom appears as an additional voice in the interview, adding the support and pride behind the player. For youth sports families, that is often the real story: the athlete on the field, and the parent or guardian helping make the journey possible.
The 2025 NFL FLAG Championships setting gives the profile a bigger stage. It connects a 9U player profile to one of the sport’s national youth events, showing how early girls can now see themselves inside the larger flag football ecosystem.
What Parents and Coaches Can Take From It
For parents, Roberts is a reminder that youth flag football can build confidence early. The goal at nine years old is not only winning games. It is helping players learn space, speed, decision-making, teamwork, and the feeling that they belong on the field.
For coaches, the lesson is just as clear. Young players respond when the game gives them room to run, create, and show personality. Flag football’s lower-contact format can help more girls try football, and stories like Roberts’ make the sport easier for families to imagine.
What to Watch Next
Roberts is still at the very beginning of her flag football journey, but her profile shows the sport’s next generation arriving early. As more girls enter youth leagues, regional tournaments, NFL FLAG events, and high school programs, players like Roberts will help define what flag football looks and feels like for younger athletes.
We’ll keep tracking youth flag football, girls flag football, and player pathway stories on our girls flag football news and national flag football news pages.