Player survey: The best and worst of IMG Academy

BRADENTON, Fla. – IMG Academy has its share of polarizing qualities. The national recruiting scope, the sprawling campus, the emphasis on athletics; pick a talking point. Chances are, somebody is upset about it.

That doesn’t change the fact that high-level football players from all over the country are flocking to the school. Below, Rivals.com surveyed current IMG student-athletes on why they came to the academy and the best and worst parts of attending the non-traditional school.

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“I wanted to come and compete against the best of the best every day. I know that’s going to make me that much better. I wanted to learn that much more about being a defensive lineman because at my old school, I really wasn’t learning a lot or being coached by the best. I believe my defensive line coach here is the best in high school football and one day he’s going to be coaching in college. He’s really made me better.” - Rivals250 defensive linemen Stephon Wynn

“For me, it was about competition. I love to compete in anything. If I’m mopping floors, I want to make sure I’m the best person at mopping there is. That’s why I’m here. The competition is way different than it is back in St. Louis.” - Rivals100 Wide Receiver Cam Coleman (2019)

“I came here for development. I came to go against the best players. Look, I’m going against [Brendan Radley-Hiles] every day and that’s the best competition I can get.” - Rivals250 wide receiver Brian Hightower.

“To become a better person and a better player. This is a place where you can get developed as both. I wanted to become a better football player and a better quarterback.” – Rivals100 quarterback Artur Sitkowski

“I came to IMG because I wanted to prepare myself for the next level. I came to IMG to set the bar high.” – Rivals100 defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles

“I thought it was a better opportunity for me to develop for when I get to Texas. It gives me a chance to play against better competition, which is what I’m going to be seeing in college. So I felt if I came here a little bit earlier it would get my game to where it needs to be.” - Rivals250 linebacker Ayodele Adeoye

“Chicago isn’t necessarily the greatest place, so I decided just to come down here to focus on school and football and put all distractions aside and just become a better person by myself.” - Rivals250 defensive tackle Verdis Brown

“I miss the down time. You don’t have down time here. You’re always moving. In the morning, you have to be up at 7:00. Then, you have practice. Then, you have school. Then you study. By the time you’re ready to chill with you friends, it’s time to go to sleep. I miss the downtime.” - Coleman

“I miss home games and big pep rallies and the student section going crazy, my family being at the games.” - Wynn

“It’s different than regular high school. We don’t live that every day high school experience. But what I miss most is just seeing my family and my friends, that’s about it.” - Sitkowski

“Getting to go home, watching TV with my dog and my mom and dad. That’s something you miss, but you gotta give it up for the greater good.” - Brown

“It’s the schedule. I enjoy getting to play all over the country and compete outside my state all the time” - Rivals100 safety Houston Griffith

“It’s the environment and that it gets you ready for college.” - Michigan commit Charles Thomas (2019)

“We have a college schedule so we’re doing something every day, all day.” - Adeoye

“Just meeting new people, because every week you have new people here from different countries. And being around my teammates, they’re in the same position I am and if you surround yourself with people on the same mission as you, you will have success.” - Rivals100 running back Trey Sanders (2019)

“The best thing is no days off down here. It’s always hot and sunny out here and guys are always putting in work. So if you see your friend go work, you want to go work with him. You don’t get that at home. Everybody here wants to be the best.” - Brown

“Nah. Nothing because I’m chasing my dream here and IMG is helping me achieve my goals.” - Griffith

“It’s just that I miss my friends, really. That’s all. I’m pretty sure that’s the same with everyone here, though.” - Hightower

“The only negative thing is that you’re in a different environment than regular high school students, so that makes you mature faster and grow up faster. You can’t really have the childishness like you used to, you have to be serious and very mature.” - Wynn

“I don’t have my family, I don’t have my mom. She can’t cook me food whenever I want It.” - Adeoye

“The only negative thing about being here is being away from my family, because I miss my family a lot.” - Sanders

“People think we’re just football all the time. Right after this interview, I have to go to school. Nobody thinks about that. With most schools, you’re only in summer school if you have to be. Here, everyone on this team has to go to summer school. - Coleman

“People think we’re selfish and we just want to look good and look good for being here.” – Hightower

“If you don’t go here, you can’t understand. I just enjoy being here. Nobody else gets that. They think we all hate it.” - Griffith

“They think we don’t go to school, that’s the biggest thing. School here is tough, it’s really tough, these teachers here push you academically. My old teachers didn’t push me as hard. Academics here are second to none; you really get pushed to be the best. People are on you every single day to be the best person.” - Sitkowski

“The whole outside thinks IMG is all flowers and rainbows, but it’s not like that. We work really hard at IMG. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of work we put in.” - Adeoye

“Everything. People think IMG just recruit people, but we come here because we want to get better and become better football players but also learn how to be on our own and become men.” - Sanders