Analyst Takeaways: IMG Media Day

BRADENTON, Fla. - IMG Academy is home to some of the nation’s top football prospects and on Wednesday those players met with the media, with recruiting talk at the forefront. Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analysts Rob Cassidy and Woody Wommack were on hand and bring you the biggest takeaways from the event.

The shots lobbed at the IMG program from by Texas coach Tom Herman and Baylor coach Matt Rhule were a topic of discussion. Herman and Rhule both spoke out against IMG and athletic-forward programs like at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention in Houston, Rhule going as far as saying his staff would not recruit at IMG. And while nobody seemed particularly interested in escalating the mini-spat, IMG head coach Kevin Wright spoke on the subject.

“When statements like that are made by college coaches, their words in public have to match their words in private,” Wright said. “Believe me, our kids play close attention. There was probably some head shaking. I don’t think in some cases that always matches. I’m not saying that’s the case here, but it is sometimes.”

Part of recruiting coverage in 2017 includes producing custom graphics for players that commit. So as part of the setup at Wednesday’s event, hats from various college programs were on display for players to pose with during the headshot session. After a few players tried on individual hats for photos, a large group of prospects crowded around the stack and were jockeying to take pictures with several different options. The choices of some committed players even drew cheers or jeers from the contingent of players and the normally quiet headshot session turned into the liveliest spot on the day. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that elite prospects are just teenagers and it was fun to watch them acting like kids as they took turns posing for pictures.

Rivals100 defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles has been committed to Nebraska for three months and is one of the most high profile commits for the Huskers in the 2018 class. But he was one of the aforementioned players to draw the biggest reaction from his IMG teammates when he put on a Florida hat during his headshot session. Radley-Hiles has emerged as one of the most notable names in the class and while he said all the right things about the Huskers and his commitment to the school on Wednesday, his choice to pose with the Gators hat will clearly stir some conversation – and not just among the players at IMG.

One of the most enigmatic players in the 2018 class is Rivals250 offensive lineman Daniel Faalele. The 6-foot-9, 380-pounder came to IMG Academy from Australia and has yet to play in an actual game, but already has scholarship offers from schools from all over the country, including Alabama, Michigan, Miami and others. Several reporters were waiting to talk to Faalele on Wednesday, in an effort to shine some slight on where he might be leaning when it comes to a college choice. But rather than meet with the media, Faalele turned down requests, adding another layer to his already mysterious persona. College coaches are betting that Faalele will be a star, and his ranking reflects that of a player who should be one as well, so it will be interesting to see where he lands and if he can tap into his potential

Miami commit Brian Hightower remains strong in his commitment to Miami but is starting to entertain the idea of taking official visits this fall. Hightower has not decided if he will take other official visits outside of one to Coral Gables, but says that he is toying with the idea of trips to Georgia and UCLA. Originally from California, Hightower cites his relationship with the Georgia staff as his reason for considering the Bulldogs and mentions the allure of home as the driving force behind his UCLA interest.