Tag: IMG Academy

Did Bill Belichick just promote ‘The Battle at the Beach’ during the NFL Draft on ESPN?

Bill Belichick touts the ‘Battle at the Beach’ on ESPN.

Bill Belichick appears to be a high school football nerd. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show on an ESPN platform, Belichick promoted the ‘Battle at the Beach’ which will feature Bergen Catholic this August.

A guest speaker at least year’s Rutgers football coaching clinic, the remarks from Belichick on ESPN were certainly surprising. His son, Stephen Belichick, is a former Rutgers long snapper who is now a defensive coordinator with the Washington Huskies.

The annual showcase event, featuring some of the top high school programs in the region but also the country, has quickly gained traction as an elite set-up. The ‘Battle at the Beach’ traditionally takes place in late August in Ocean City, New Jersey.

This year, the marquee game at ‘The Battle at the Beach’ will be IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) against Bergen Catholic (Ramsey, New Jersey).

To hear Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winner as a head coach, speak about the game was certainly surreal.

IMG Academy finished as the fifth-best team in the nation in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25.

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Bergen Catholic, after another state title, ended the year at No. 23 in the rankings.

Duke signee Darren Harris drops 36 points in victory over IMG Academy

Duke signee Darren Harris, a member of the vaunted 2024 recruiting class, scored 36 points in a victory over IMG Academy on Thursday.

Cooper Flagg and Isaiah Evans drew headlines at the McDonald’s All-American Game earlier this week, but future teammate Darren Harris stole the show on Thursday.

The four-star Duke signee helped lead Paul VI Catholic to a 101-89 victory over IMG Academy after he scored 36 points, including a 19-point third quarter.

Harris finished the game 12/21 from the floor after making five of his nine 3-point attempts. He also pulled down seven rebounds.

The game was part of the Chipotle Nationals tournament, pitting the nation’s best high school basketball teams against each other. Paul VI is the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament behind only Flagg’s Montverde Academy.

Harris’s 36 points are the second most in a single game during the tournament. The record? 37 points by Duke’s own Austin Rivers back in 2010.

Harris’s teammate Patrick Ngongba, another member of Duke’s fantastic 2024 recruiting class, added six points and five rebounds.

Harris and his team will play the winner of Thursday night’s game between Prolific Prep and Link Academy. The semifinal game will air on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Florida impresses 4-star IMG Academy WR during spring practice

Florida is working on getting IMG Academy four-star receiver Donovan Olugbodes back on campus for an OV after a successful weekend visit.

After plans fell through to visit the Swamp on Thursday, IMG Academy wide receiver [autotag]Donovan Olugbode[/autotag] made time to stop by the University of Florida on Saturday.

Olugbode left town far more intrigued with the Orange and Blue than he expected, according to Swamp247. Getting a look at a new offense in person and seeing DJ Lagway work will have that effect. He’s also close with receiver Jerrae Hawkins from their time together at IMG.

“We talked a lot about how much he likes it,” Olugbode said of his conversations with Hawkins. “Just talking about the things they have. He talks a lot about Lagway. He talks about how easy the offense is to learn. He said you can play fast out there.”

A smooth and efficient practice on Saturday backed up Hawkins’ claims. Olugbode made note of wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez’s knowledge and passion for the game.

Official visit in the works?

The next step for Olugbode and Florida would be to organize an official visit, but a buy summer travel schedule has those plans up in the air.

“I have all my dates put out for June official visits,” he said. “I was going to try and work some things out so I can get Florida for an official visit. Nothing set, but I am thinking about getting there possibly.”

There’s a lot of hedging going on in that statement, so Olugbode is far from a lock to get back on campus. This trip did a lot for Florida, though, so maybe he’ll make room.

Recruiting summary

Olugbode is No. 145 overall and No. 18 among wide receivers in the class of 2025, according to the 247Sports composite, and the On3 industry ranking has him at No. 135 nationally and No. 17 at his position.

On3s Recruiting Prediction Machine favors Florida with a 37.2% chance to land a commitment from Olugbode, but USC is close behind with 32.6% odds. Illinois (9.9%) is the only other program with more than a 1% chance, according to the RPM.

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Sooners become one of earliest schools to offer talented 2027 safety Chuck Roberts

Oklahoma is one of the earliest teams to offer 2027 safety Chuck Roberts.

Oklahoma is knee-deep in 2025 and 2026 recruiting. But don’t be fooled, the Sooners also have an eye into the future. They have extended an offer to an exceptional freshman talent out of California.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Oklahoma staff offered Chuck Roberts, a rising sophomore from Bishop Alemany High School. A six-foot, 180-pound safety, Roberts showcases elite football IQ and the ability to play in space and process plays at blazing speed.

For a freshman starting varsity, Roberts earned MaxPreps second-team All-American honors after posting 104 tackles, two sacks, and five pass breakups.

By all accounts, Roberts looks destined to be a future five-star and a national recruit. His growing offer sheet indicates he already has offers from Florida and Arizona.

Roberts also announced plans to transfer to IMG Academy to finish the remainder of his high school career, which will allow him to shine brightest playing a national schedule against some of the best teams in the country.

Chuck Roberts’ Recruiting Profile

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WATCH: AJ Storr’s road to Madison

AJ Storr’s road to Madison

The Badgers men’s basketball team is out to a 11-3 start to the season and they’re the 15th ranked team in the country, greatly due to the production they’ve received from transfer guard AJ Storr.

Storr currently leads Wisconsin with 14.7 points per game, also averaging 2.9 rebounds per contest. Storr spent one season with St. John’s before deciding to enter the transfer portal, ultimately ending up in Madison.

The guard’s story growing up though is one of resilience, moving a handful of times in order to continue to play the sport he loves. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Storr moved from Illinois when he was 16, finally finishing his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida after multiple stops elsewhere.

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Florida offers trio of IMG Academy defensive backs

Billy Napier’s recruiting staff is always looking for talent out of IMG Academy, and the new secondary coach has caught on to the trend quickly.

A day after Christmas, the Florida Gators presented an offer to IMG Academy cornerback Major Preston.

The class of 2025 defensive back took to Twitter after receiving the offer, tagging Florida’s new defensive backs coach Will Harris as well as head coach Bill Napier.

Florida isn’t the first SEC team to offer Preston, though. Ole Miss has already thrown its hat in the ring alongside Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Marshall and Virginia Tech, according to Swamp247.

“Coach Will, he had hit me up on messages, asking to get on the phone,” Preston said. “He called me, we had a great conversation, and he offered me.”

Harris has looked to establish a relationship with IMG Academy since touching down in Gainesville. He also offered two rising stars from the class of 2026 — Zechariah Fort and Ksani Jiles.

Preston and Jiles are both unranked right now on 247Sports, but Fort checks in at No. 20 nationally on the composite rankings. Harris is clearly looking to keep the in-state powerhouse as a pipeline for the Gators. Getting Preston on campus is the next step.

The plan is to get Preston in town during the spring, so he can get a feel for the program and school. It will be his first time in Gainesville and meeting the staff in person. No dates are penciled in just yet.

Preston has only made two visits so far during his recruitment — a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia to see Tech beat Pitt and a stop in Miami during the fall.

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Preston Carey talks IMG Academy transfer, Rutgers football interest and recruiting

Preston Carey talks move to IMG Academy and Rutgers football update.

Preston Carey is on the move, the class of 2026 defensive lineman announced last week that he is heading to one of the top programs in the nation.

Carey, a part of the class of 2026, is projected to be one of the top recruits in the nation. He holds a strong national offer list that includes the likes of  Georgia and Michigan.

Rivals ranks him as a four-star recruit.

Over the summer, he was offered by Rutgers. He impressed this fall for St. Anthony’s (South Huntington, New York).

The move to IMG Academy, who finished fifth in the nation in the final USA TODAY HSS Super 25, is all about getting ready for the next level according to Carey.

“I want to be a first round draft pick since I was five years old and IMG is the best platform to prepare you for what comes ahead. They play the top competition in the country and their program is the most demanding and they also have coaches who have coached in the NFL,” Carey told Rutgers Wire.

“Also it prepares you well for college and the best competition in practice – at a higher level with everything you’re doing.”

The transfer to IMG is imminent: January 2 will be his move-in date.

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In six games played last year, Carey had 33 total tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack. At 6-foot-4 and 282 pounds, Carey already has the build of a Power Five defensive lineman.

Rutgers offered Carey over the summer. Since then, he has maintained steady contact with the program.

“They are great coach Schiano, and coach Watson continue to recruit and I am grateful!” Carey said.

“They are just telling me how they will make sure I become a great man not only a great player.”

Sooners officially add four-star defensive tackle during the early signing period

Four-star defensive tackle and IMG Academy product Jayden Jackson signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

If there was one position the Oklahoma Sooners needed to add impact players to ahead of their move to the SEC, it was defensive tackle. And in the 2024 recruiting class, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] have done that.

Making it official during the early signing period, [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] signed his national letter of intent for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Jackson was recently named IMG Academy Defensive MVP for the 2023 season. Yes, the same IMG Academy that five-star defensive tackle David Stone plays for. Jackson was that important to his team’s success.

The four-star enjoyed a steep climb in the recruiting rankings over the summer as analysts dug deeper on Jackson, who is a legit nose tackle. Nose tackles can be difficult evaluations because they’re often doing the dirty work. But Jackson is as good a defensive tackle prospect as there is in the 2024 recruiting class.

He’s a strong and quick player who displays the ability to penetrate and get into the backfield. He displays the strength to take on and beat double teams but has the quickness and burst to create pressure from the interior.

At 6 feet, 2 inches and 300 pounds (already), Jackson provides the size and the ability the Sooners need on the interior as they prepare for SEC offensive lines. The Sooners will be able to deploy him in three- and four-man alignments, and Jackson will be incredibly disruptive.

Jackson received 26 Power Five offers and chose the Oklahoma Sooners over notable teams including Texas, Florida and Miami.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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Jordan Seaton, a 5-star offensive tackle, commits to Colorado football

Jordan Seaton made a shocking pick for Colorado football.

Rumors of head coach Deion Sanders’ demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Thursday’s commitment from five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton is further proof that Colorado football, despite a rough for weeks, is still quite the force to be reckoned with.

Seaton, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman from No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida), is the No. 19 recruit in the nation according to ESPN. He was the highest-ranked player in the nation who was un-committed.

He picked Colorado from a stacked offer list that included Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee among others.

Moving well and lightly on his feet, Seaton is able to slide and plant very well. He has some nuance to his blocking and quick hands that allow him to adjust almost effortlessly to any kind of a rush.

Seaton has good power and strength but also has a frame that could easily blossom in the Colorado strength and conditioning program.

In the last few weeks, Colorado has been hit with questions about the direction of their program. After a strong start to their first season under Sanders, Colorado stumbled and finished 4-8 with six straight losses to close out the season.

 

A couple of recruits in the 2024 class de-committed and several starters entered the transfer portal this past week.

But landing Seaton certainly gets some of the mojo back for Colorado.

WATCH: Oklahoma Sooners 5-star DL David Stone takes interception 94 yards

Future Sooners were in action this past Friday night and one high level recruit had a highlight to see.

On Friday, numerous future Oklahoma Sooners were in action across the country. Among them was five-star defensive lineman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] at [autotag]IMG Academy[/autotag].

Stone was a huge win for the Sooners just a few weeks ago. They staved off a late push by the [autotag]Miami Hurricanes[/autotag] to secure his commitment. On Friday night, IMG Academy was taking on [autotag]Ben Davis[/autotag] High School out of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ben Davis was about to score, but then Stone made a play. Not only did he intercept the pass, he turned on the jets and took it 94 yards to the house. It was another example of his impressive athleticism as most were waiting for someone to catch up to him, but none ever got close.

Stone dominated the game from start to finish, and his coach Billy Miller told [autotag]247Sports[/autotag]’ Steve Wiltfong that they love having him on their team.

“We’re so lucky to have David on our team,” Miller said. “He is a tremendous athlete. Tremendous kid. He works his butt off, and we’re really fortunate he goes to IMG I’ll tell you that.”

Stone hasn’t signed yet but if he does, I’m sure Sooners fans and coaches will feel the same way Miller does. Stone’s ability can be a program-changing signing as he’s able to bring something Oklahoma just hasn’t had in many years.

Another sign [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Co. know exactly what it takes to be competitive in the SEC.

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