'14 OT Commit Ward transfers to IMG Academy in Florida

hmm, I wonder why.

Snake Oil

Is he even really considered a commit anymore? He basically said he was opening his recruitment back up a few weeks ago.

This may not really mean anything other than that he decided that was a great place to spend his senior season becoming the best he could at a game he probably never really thought he could play at the highest level.

Long time till next February.

and upon wikipediaing it, I found that it is is basically part of a corporation. Based on the wikipedia article, I'm not actually sure it's a school...

IMG???  To bad.  Good luck to him.

Until next February, but like stated above, he basically isn't committed anymore, and if he is, probably not for long. I'm not pissed, the kid should take his time and make what he renders to be the right decision for him. If he chooses Blue, that's great, if not, there will be others my brothers.

I view this as a positive.  He's going to get much better coaching and play against much higher competition down there. Sky's the limit for someone with that frame.  I'd rather have a 50% shot at getting a vastly improved monster than a 90% shot at a really raw 4 year project.

Meh, this doesn't mean anything. Long time until 2014 NSD.

He is still good friends with LTT right?

I was curious to see what the IMG Academy is about and this is what I got from their website:

The Academy Program is structured with an annual two-semester system that runs from September – May. IMG Academy incorporates a “collegiate-style” daily schedule for student-athletes that consists of a half-day of academics and a half-day of sports training/competition.

At IMG Academy, academic enrichment and athletic skill development represent only a portion of the training that student-athletes receive. We instill the confidence that allows our student-athletes to aspire for anything that their mind can imagine, while providing the tools to help them reach those goals.

IMG Academy has been around for a long time. In the beginning it was created so that tennis players can train year round with schooling on the side, but it has expanded since to golf than to other sports. Usually, they have no allegiance to any school. But I don't think this is a positive turn of events for Michigan.

I'd watch more tennis and golf if o lineman were part of the action.

IMG is a for profit entity involved in sports at all levels.  I do not believe they are geared toward preparing well rounded people.  I invision more of a for profit  "Marinovich Program".

I would be surprised if this person matriculates at Michigan.

Do we know of any other  D-1 recruits who attended this academy?

What kind of track record does this school have of turning out big time players?

to be worthy of transfer, since it's obviously a diploma mill for academically-challenged high school athletes. Cross him off the list.

The high school football program is still relatively new at IMG, but there have been players training for the NFL Combine at IMG for over a decade now. Based on the reactions I've seen from the who's who of draft prospects this year, the facilities at IMG are better than most major D-1 programs. It's a competitive environment, and whichever school ends up landing Ward will benefit from the year he spends here.

I would actually be happy about it. Being from Chicago I can tell you, CPS football players are extremely raw and not in shape to play in college right away. Coaching and facilities are sub-par.

He's a 3* raw prospect that's as likely to be a bust as he is a boom prospect. With how awesome our 2012 and 2013 OL classes are/were, losing an offensive line prospect like Ward doesn't cause me to lose sleep at night.

With that said, I'd love for him to remain committed, but losing someone like Ferns would be a MUCH BIGGER blow.

The NCAA has been cracking down on schools like this.

I might be the only one who sees this as a good thing, but if he does end up sticking with us, going to a football program like this one could be a great thing for his development as a player.  He's a guy with the physical tools to be a great player, but is very raw.  This could maybe smooth out a lot of the raw aspects of his game, and get him in a good shape to compete for a spot in the two deep quickly.

People freak out too much over stuff like this.  He is still commited to Michigan and moved to a high school that caters towards athletes which is a better opportunity then he has at his old one.

Thread jack!!! Rivals board says Green will pick Auburn....lol



Panic

I Lived in Bradenton 3 yrs, so am familiar with IMG. IMG has been around a while. At least in the past, they were a fairly expensive school, but you did get excellent coaching. It does make sense for Ward to go there. It really is kind of like McGary going to prep school out East. McGary was still from Indiana. Ward is still from Chicago, but he gets a year to polish his game, work on his academics, strength, and be ready for college. I'm just curious how in the world this is being paid for. Going to IMG for a year isn't cheap.

I worked out there for 3 months one summer. It is outstanding. Ward will probably get a lot of technique coaching for his position to catch up fast for not having played a lot of football. For sure he will get top-notch conditioning both in the weight room and running/plyometric stuff. I was there in college I wish I had gone in high school.



As for what it means for Michigan I don't know. Ward will likely get to rub shoulders with some NFL guys with various ties. When I was there Drew Brees, Charlie Batch, and I heard but never saw, the Mannings were there. So who knows who might get in his ear and say what.