Miami Recruiting: Three IMG Academy Defensive Prospects To Watch
IMG Academy has been good to the Miami Hurricanes.
The 2023 recruiting class sent offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa to The U. He was the #17 prospect by Rivals. That same recruiting class provided UM with Rivals' #83 recruit in defensive end Jayden Wayne, the No. 131 prospect in tight end Riley Williams, and 3-star offensive lineman Antonio Tripp.
The Hurricanes did not sign an IMG prospect from the 2024 recruiting class. Mario Cristobal and the Canes have been making a concerted effort to evaluate and recruit some of IMG's best 2025 prospects.
While there's still a long way to go with this recruiting cycle, here are three defensive recruits that Miami has already offered ahead of Thursday night's Under Armour IMG Camp.
The following is a baseline of each prospect's recruitment and evaluation to date.
London Merritt DE 6-3 235
One of the country's most highly recruited defensive ends and #74 player by Rivals, Merritt has scholarship opportunities with Miami, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and many over 30 more schools have extended Merritt an offer to date.
Having seen Merritt live two times before, he's a player that stands out in a crowd. He was a tremendous pass rusher during last year's Under Armour Future 50 and performed well in Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy's 6A State Title Game. He transferred to IMG for the spring semester.
How much bigger he's become, as well as what additional techniques Merritt has learned to use, will be interesting to learn about during Thursday's IMG camp.
Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng LB 6-2 215
Georgia, Miami, Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, Southern California, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon, Oklahoma, and many other Power 4 programs have offered Owusu-Boateng.
He's a modern linebacker. "Woo" as he is called, played mostly middle linebacker for IMG this past season. He can play weak-side linebacker or the hybrid spot as well. For a linebacker, he possesses elite athleticism and instincts. Owusu-Boateng often beats an offensive lineman to a key point on the field and then makes a tackle.
He's consistently shown the ability to be a three-down linebacker. At this point, what else can Rivals' #24 player in America do?
Gavin Nix LB 6-0 230
Nix was highlighted by AllHurricanes earlier this week. Florida State and Miami could end up battling it out for him in the end. He has a long offer list from schools across the United States.
Originally from the Orlando area, Nix packed a punch when he collided with a ball carrier. He could play either weak-side linebacker or middle linebacker once he's in college.
Nix has proven he's fast and loves to study film to gain an advantage over his competition. I am looking forward to watching him run through drills and see him in coverage as well. I believe he's underrated as the No. 136 player in the country.
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.