National Championship on the Line: IMG Academy Football | The Brotherhood, Episode 8

Leave no doubt. There's a reason behind a ranking; behind a perception; behind a logo. When you're at IMG Academy, there's no doubt that you're working towards your personal best while inspiring those around you every single day. 

From the onset of the 2020 football season, IMG Academy received the No. 1 preseason ranking, and, from there, continued to compete with that same ranking ahead of their team name during each of their eight games. What first came from a legacy then became a result of work ethic and a commitment to excellence. The brotherhood mentality overtook the 2020 season and remained the guiding light that continued to push each player to first be their best individually while taking the entire team to the top.

 

The brotherhood aspect of IMG Academy is very special, especially in the way that people come from all over the country and all over the world, and you'll have these relationships for the rest of your life."

- Tyler Booker (Junior Student-Athlete), OL

 

From the start, everyone was really playing for themselves. Now, we're playing for each other, and I think that's what makes us great and No. 1."

- Kamari Wilson (Junior Student-Athlete), Safety

 

In the final game of the season, IMG Academy's National football team had the opportunity of their career to compete on ESPN during the GEICO High School Bowl Series and to defend their No. 1 ranking. 

 

 

Our goal is to be the greatest team in IMG history and to go down as one of the greatest teams in high school football history."

- Tyler Booker (Junior Student-Athlete), OL

 

On November 20, 2020, IMG Academy took the national stage for the final game of the season to compete against TRU Prep Academy. With the guidance of Head Coach Bobby Acosta, IMG kicked off at home under the lights during this spotlight game. Check out episode 8 of The Brotherhood series below for a look at how the season ended for the No.1 ranked Ascenders during their final game of the 2020 season.

 

 

In a game that celebrated the seniors, IMG Academy focused on the team as a whole and continued to utilize and leverage the momentum that had propelled them to this point. As a senior, JC Latham, OT, reflected on the season and recognized that this game was the final piece of the puzzle. 

 

The biggest thing I take away from being here is that IMG showed me first hand that you have to really focus and commit to it; it just won't happen naturally; you have to grind for this and work for it because nothing's ever really given."

- JC Latham

 

It's these special moments that you see inside the locker room, during pre-game routines, in practice, during halftime, and the final in-game huddle that truly make IMG such a special setting. With shared mindsets, goals, and aspirations, the brotherhood cannot be replicated. There's nowhere else that compares to the caliber of training, competition, and camaraderie that you'll find at IMG Academy. It's these major milestones and moments like this final game that truly establish the pathway that IMG student-athletes will reflect on for the rest of their football careers and even their lives.

 

The time here at IMG is small compared to where they're going to go in their career. I tell our kids, enjoy this time that you have here, get better, master your craft, and when you get out of here you're going to be ready to impact locker rooms across the country."

- Bobby Acosta, IMG Academy National Football Team Head Coach