NEW ORLEANS — Before catching a football at the Super Bowl Experience's pick six activation, Paula “Nicole” Cruz put on her sporty shades. She then scampered through the tackle dummies and leaped into the foam end zone while her fellow honorees cheered.
The lights were bright on the eight finalists for the NFL's Latino Youth Honors award at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The program is in its second season and salutes rising stars in tackle and flag football of Latino heritage. It functions alongside the league's other initiatives such as the "Por La Cultura" campaign to embrace the more than 30 million Hispanic and Latino NFL fans.
For the NFL Latino Youth Honors, each of the 32 NFL teams nominate a local student-athlete based on their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom and how they represent their community. The league selected eight finalists, one from each division, and invited them to the Big Easy to participate in Super Bowl festivities, including getting a personal tour of the Super Bowl Experience with Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and walking the red carpet at NFL Honors.
The two winners, both of Mexican heritage, were announced at NFL Honors, where Josh Allen was named league MVP and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was revealed. Sophie Guitron, representing the Los Angeles Rams, and Mariano Talamantez, nominated by the Green Bay Packers, were the NFL Latino Youth Honors winners, each receiving a $25,000 grant for college. The other six finalists each received $5,000 for their education.
"To be named the national winner was something I could only dream of, but now that dream came true," Talamantez, who is committed to play tackle football at Carthage College, said in a statement. "I am grateful for the opportunities that this program has given me and thankful for how it will help me as I continue my education next year.”
Guitron faced adversity as a child because she had open-heart surgery when she was 11 years old after doctors discovered she has a congenital heart defect. She credits her culture with giving her the strength to overcome hardship and inspire others. She is planning on continuing her flag football career at Keiser University.
“This award recognizes the hard work not only of myself but also of my family and how far we’ve come," Guitron said in a statement. “I believe I couldn’t be in this position without my Mexican resilience and heritage that has helped us drive to achieve our goals and dreams and taught us to keep working hard and persevere. Also to be receiving this honor as the national winner is special to me because of the medical issues I’ve had and the roadblock they presented. I hope that I can be an example for little girls and boys that they can do anything they set their mind to, even if they have medical issues or other setbacks, they can overcome them and achieve their goals.”
Joel Cordoba, who is Panamanian, was the New York Giants' nominee. He played receiver and defensive back at Plainfield High School and was given Central Jersey’s 2-Way Player of the Year award in 2023. He graduated high school early and is now enrolled at Kent State as a safety. Being a part of the NFL Latino Youth Honors program was his first time in New Orleans and he said it was fun to see the city and connect with his fellow honorees.
"(The Latino Youth Honors program) means a lot to me, my family, my community. They have my back all the time and I was ecstatic when I won the award and came down to the final eight," he told Kick The Concrete. "... Football means a lot to me because it’s just like an escape in the world. I can just go on the field and everything leaves my mind and it really just helps."
Cecilia Beauchamp is a Puerto Rican student-athlete and was nominated by the New York Jets. She is the quarterback of her flag football team, following in the steps of world champion Diana Flores, and also plays basketball and tennis while maintaining a 4.0 GPA at the Bronx High School of Science. She was accepted into Yale, but hasn't committed to a school yet.
"I truly didn’t even know that there was a program that honored people of Latin descent and athletes and people that are amazing in the classroom and outside as well," she told Kick The Concrete. "So it’s amazing to have an award that kind of represents my identity as a student-athlete, as an activist, as somebody that speaks up for what she believes in and who she is."
It's clear that the NFL Latino Youth Honors is helping student-athletes feel seen and valued.
According to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), only eight out of 1,657 players in the NFL identified as Latino or Hispanic in 2019. This season, the league reported that there were 15 players who identified as Latino or Hispanic across the 14 teams heading into the playoffs.
Representation means that more and more kids can connect to the pursuit of excellence that the league offers.
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