Tag: IMG Football

Florida powerhouse IMG Academy sold for $1.25 billion

Some of the nation’s best high school football players attend.

One of the country’s best high school football and basketball schools—and really, most all sports—has been sold.

According to a report by Herald-Tribune’s Derek Gilliam,  IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, has been sold by Endeavor Group Holdings to private equity group BPEA EQT for a total of $1.25 billion. Endeavor president Mark Shapiro says the school is in good hands.

Blue Cain of the IMG Academy celebrates a teammates dunk against Prolific Prep in GEICO High School Nationals quarterfinal game ay Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

“With Asia being IMG Academy’s largest source of international students, BPEA EQT sees strong potential to support the Company’s expansion across multiple markets in the region, including Singapore, India, Vietnam, Greater China, and Indonesia,” EQT said in a Tuesday news release. “BPEA EQT plans to leverage its proven sector expertise within education and track record from having supported its existing portfolio company Nord Anglia Education’s international growth over the past 15 years.”

IMG is a private, sports-centric school that costs nearly $90,000 per year in tuition and boarding, per the Wall Street Journal.

The annual Kickoff Classic, at the newly-renovated, upgraded bleachers and new LED lights at Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium in Bradenton, on Friday August, 19, 2022. Manatee Hurricanes won the game 30 to 21 over the IMG Academy White (Ascenders).

Some of the nation’s best high school football players attend, including several members on our list of the Top 100 football recruits in the 2023 class. Their varsity team ranked No. 7 in our final Super 25 rankings of the year.

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No. 11 IMG Academy wraps season with victory over No. 2 St. Frances Academy

IMG Academy took down St. Frances academy with help from Ohio State commit Carnell Tate and newly un-committed Winston Watkins Jr.

If there was one high school game important for college football fans to pay attention to over the weekend — and perhaps over the entire season — it was the clash between No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Md.) and No. 11 IMG Academy (Fla.).

In the showing of star power, IMG Academy took home the 27-16 win and closed its season with an 8-1 record.

Though IMG was ranked lower, calling this an upset wouldn’t exactly be right. Both schools are historically dominant and carried that into this year. Entering the game, SFA was 8-0 with wins against very good schools around the country, including East St. Louis (Ill.), DeSoto (Texas), Venice (Florida), Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.), and Kahuku (Hawaii). Meanwhile, IMG was 7-1 with four straight shutouts—a combined score of 254-0.

The teams and their fans desperately wanted a win, but college football fans could simply enjoy it as peak high school performance and also a glimpse at players who might don the jerseys of their favorite team in the future.

Ohio State commit Carnell Tate, a 6-foot-2 receiver for IMG, finished the game with two touchdowns:

Sophomore Winston Watkins Jr. decommitted from Texas A&M the morning of the game and gave college programs an argument for why they should be the next school to offer him. The 5-foot-10 receiver, ranked No. 13 on the 247Sports composite, scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

It was his tenth touchdown of the season, according to ScorebookLive.

One of the game’s most important plays came in the second quarter. Jordan Johnson-Rubell broke the game open with an interception near the five-yard line that he returned for a touchdown, giving the Ascenders cushion for the second half.

Johnson-Rubell, ranked as a four-star safety and the No. 86 player on the composite, has 26 offers, per 247Sports.

The Athletic posted an intriguing recruitment article in March, headlined by Johnson-Rubell but more broadly about IMG’s college recruitment in general. While he plays in Florida, he could be considered a Texas high school prospect as well.

That’s meaningless to IMG fans, but for college fans paying attention to these games, it adds a different level of possibility for these players.

There were plenty of top-tiered recruits to pay attention to during this game. In the end, IMG’s stars got the upper hand on those from St. Frances Academy.

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Georgia football offers top-ranked, 5-star RB

The Georgia Bulldogs football program has offered a scholarship to five-star IMG Academy running back Jerrick Gibson.

The Georgia Bulldogs football program has offered a scholarship to another great running back. Jerrick Gibson is a five-star running back in the class of 2024.

Now, Georgia football has offered Gibson, who is ranked as the No. 14 recruit in the class of 2024 and the top-ranked running back. He plays high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which is arguably the top high school program in the country.

Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee offered Gibson a scholarship. The IMG Academy star has offers in March from Georgia, Auburn, FSU, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State and Alabama. March has been a good month for the five-star prospect.

Gibson has recently visited Florida and UCF. He visited Athens for the Georgia-Missouri football game in Nov. 2021.

Georgia football does not have any commitments in the sophomore class, but it has one of the best 2023 recruiting classes in the nation.

On tape, Gibson shows impressive burst and agility. He is a threat in the receiving game and has high-end speed. Gibson frequently avoids nearby tacklers with his cutting, speed, and acceleration.

The top-ranked running back in the class of 2024 announced his scholarship offer from Georgia via his Twitter account:

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