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IMG Academy Under Armour Camp Evaluations And Rankings

Where should IMG Academy's prospects be ranked?

Brian Smith

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BRADENTON, Fla. - Watching IMG Academy's Under Armour Camp gave credence to several players going up in the rankings.

Here's my breakdown of what I feel these young men would be ranked if I were to do a Florida rankings or even a national rankings with IMG players.

Let's start with a future pick, just to make sure everyone knows that IMG is not just all juniors and seniors. 

I was told that Eric McFarland III was arguably the fastest player on the team for next season. Well, McFarland is only going to be a ninth-grader. I was like, "'What?'" Then I watched him run.

He clocked a 4.57 laser last night, from what I heard. The class of 2028 prospect came to IMG from Las Vegas. McFarland is going to be a mainstay for the Ascenders during the next four years. He catches the football with ease and makes sharp cuts. Look out for McFarland as a possible future 5-star recruit.

Looking at the class of 2025, I am 100% convinced that Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is a 5-star recruit. The way Owusu-Boateng moves in space is effortless. He is right around 210 pounds and still has more suddenness and sheer straight-line speed than many players who are 20 or 30 pounds lighter than him.

Boateng is a big-time talent and he could play any of the three modern linebacker positions: middle, weak-side, or hybrid. Watch out for Miami and Notre Dame with him. That's just my gut based on communicating with "Woo" as we call him. He has a bunch of visits coming up and he may not make a final decision for a long time.

Next up, is wide receiver Donovan Olugbode who comes to IMG from Chicago. He has incredible hands. He made numerous one-handed grabs last night and made them look effortless; that includes an underhanded grab with his left hand.

Olugbode is the #63 player by Rivals and that's fair. I originally was not sure if he was a top-100 prospect. Going back through clips from last night and just remembering how he's gained a significant amount of muscle since he arrived at IMG a year ago, I now agree with that ranking when combining those points with his junior film. 

Again, his hands are just crazy. He's going to be a problem for college defensive backs; Olugbode is a high 4-star recruit for me.

Another 2025 IMG recruit I'm excited about would be defensive end London Merritt. He's twitchy and at his best during one-on-one pass-rushing situations. He's now gaining the size to be a true point-of-attack run defender as well. Merritt told me he's up to 250 pounds.

I believe he should at least be considered a borderline top-30 prospect nationally. Merritt possesses the athleticism, length, first-step burst, polish, and production to be at the elite level. He comes to IMG from Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy. Merritt is accustomed to playing top competition. He's also one of the most heavily recruited defensive ends in the nation.

Back to wide receiver, I am raising my opinion of Raiden Vines-Bright. Seeing him run with the other talented receivers and athletes overall, it's obvious why he has schools like Southern California, Notre Dame, Washington, and Arizona State already set for official visits.

While Rivals currently has him as a 3-star, I would bump Vines-Bright to a 4-star and top-200 recruit. Fluid with his routes, he is a natural pass catcher. I think he will rise in the recruiting rankings.

Moving to 2026, here are three more recruits I would like to discuss. First, a player that possesses rare traits.

Left tackle Keenyi Pepe is 6-foot-8 and 297 pounds. Here's the deal. Despite his size, I was joking with him that he's still thin. Think about that. Thin at nearly 300 pounds. He's natural with kick steps in pass protection, has tremendous length, and he's comfortable moving in space for the screen game or when he's pulling.

Depending on where one looks, Pepe is a 5-star or yet-to-be-ranked. He needs more power, which will come in time. For now, he's a tremendously gifted young man with a great attitude. I totally get the 5-star ranking. For him to finish in the national top 10, he simply has to hit the weight room and continue on his current path. It's all there for Pepe.

At safety, Amari Jones is the #61 player by 247. To me, that's close to where I would have him. I would go with a ranking around #50. Here's where it gets interesting.

Jones is playing safety for IMG but he is a prospect pushing 6-foot-2 with the twitch to play cornerback. IMG is simply loaded in the secondary so he's on the back end. Could Jones move to cornerback at the Power 4 level? Absolutely. Honestly, Jones might have the highest upside of any IMG skill player.

Sticking with safety prospects, Zech Fort is a leader and one of the most polished young defensive backs in the country. I think his all-around qualities make him a 5-star prospect. 

He's already 190 pounds and looks physically ready for college football. The way he breaks on the football is more like a cornerback than a safety, too. 

Rivals has Fort at #7 nationally and 247 at #35. He's definitely in that range for me and I'd go with #20 overall. The best attribute for Fort might be his intelligence. He loves the game and will one day set the defense from the backend of a lucky Power 4 program.

There are numerous other IMG recruits I could go into specifics about like cornerback Ksani Jiles (he needs a rankings bump, too). I will have more thoughts on the IMG prospects later this spring when I come back for spring ball.

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Brian Smith
BRIAN SMITH

Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.

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