Florida football stars who opened 2026 season with big performances

With Week 1 in the books, plenty of Florida's top recruits are already stuffing the stat sheet.

The state's elite players wasted no time in their season-openers, and we have plenty of big time performances setting the tone for the 2026 season.

Venice traveled to Rabun Gap (Georgia) for a last-minute season opener, and escaped with a 42-20 overtime win behind a five-touchdown effort from Dorien Jones. Brysen Wright reeled in a touchdown catch and an interception in Mandarin's win over McArthur, and Errol Demontagnac had five tackles for loss in a trademark Armwood slugfest.

Here are some of the top performances of the week from the top prospects in the Sunshine State:

Brody Brenneman, Lakeland Christian 2027 QB

Brenneman led the Vikings to the most points in a game in program history with an 81-7 win over Santa Fe. The USF commit tossed for five touchdowns and rushed for one more.

AJ Chung, West Orange 2027 QB

Chung threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-35 completions in West Orange's 28-24 win over Archbishop Hoban.

Errol Demontagnac, Armwood DL

Demontagnac (No. 60), a Nebraska commit), racked up 10 tackles with five going for a loss in the Hawks' 17-7 win over Lennard.

Dorien Jones, Venice 2027 RB

Jones was foundational in the overtime win over Rabun Gap (Ga.). The FIU commit scored five touchdowns, going for 180 yards and four scores on the ground on 21 carries — including the go-ahead touchdown in overtime. Jones, the No. 90 player in the state, added a touchdown catch to the winning effort.

Za'Kari Johnson, Carol City 2027 ATH

Johnson, an FSU commit and No. 21 player in the state, helped the Chief rattle off 38 unanswered points with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown.

Zylen Little, Carrollwood Day 2028 DL

Little helped bottle up Eau Gallie's offense in a 41-7 win, talliyng seven tackles with two TFLs and a sack.

Eric McFarland III, IMG 2027 WR

McFarland III (No. 7) shined in the Ascenders' 59-3 win over Lone Peak (Utah), catching eight passes for 135 yards and one touchdowns.

Champ Monds, Vero Beach 2027 QB

The Notre Dame commit cruised to 195 passing yards on 12-of-14 passing with three touchdowns. Monds (No. 22) added two more scores on the ground in the 34-0 win over Jenson Beach.

Larry Morgan, West Boca 2027 CB

Morgan highlighted an airtight Bulls secondary that helped prevent a first down for three-and-a-half quarters in a 24-7 win over American Heritage. The USF commit tallied a pair of pass breakups in the win.

Kaneilius Purdy, Lake Wales 2027 ATH

Lake Wales may have fallen short in their opener, but Purdy (No. 35) caught nine passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-34 heartbreaker against DeLand. The UCF commit's 48-yard reception set up the first score and he later scored on a 40-yard pass, and he added nine tackles on defense.

Brady Quinn, Chaminade-Madonna 2028 QB

The Lions downed Monarch 49-22 behind a big night from the junior signal caller. who went for five touchdowns and 314 yards on 15-of-20 completions.

Jamarin Simmons, Godby 2027 WR

Jamarin "Waffle House" Simmons (@JamarinSimmons) doing what he do best. 🧇🧇🧇🧇🧇#BigBendPrepspic.twitter.com/wYCrpLbwzj

— Peter Holland Jr (@_Da_pistol) August 22, 2026

The Clemson commit and No. 4 player in the state needed just three catches to tally two touchdowns in Godby's 35-13 win over Rickards. Simmons caught the one ball that didn't go for a touchdown with an incredible leaping catch over coverage and fell half-a-yard short of the end zone.

Brysen Wright, Mandarin 2027 WR

The 5-star prospect shined all over the field in Mandarin's 38-21 win over McArthur. He had three catches for 81 yards and one ridiculous touchdown catch in coverage, an interception on defense, and a punt return touchdown called back for a penalty.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida football stars who opened 2026 season with big performances