Each month, IMG Academy will share some of its insights into the recruiting process and some of its best practices that it uses to help student-athletes reach the next level.

For the aspiring student athlete, the past year navigating the Coronavirus pandemic has been particularly tricky.

With the NCAA recruiting dead period on Division I programs still limiting in-person recruiting, clubs around the country have gotten creative when it comes to helping players achieve their goals.

IMG Academy is poised to send 28 players from its class of 2021 to play college soccer, and has been helping younger classes stay ahead in the recruiting process.

“Here at IMG, we have a four year College Search and Selection Process that we work through with all of our players,” Director of Soccer Don Cameron said. “This fall, we’ve had three distinct areas to help our players achieve their goals of playing at the next level.”

The first part of the approach has been the LiveStream Series. With so many teams on campus, IMG Academy teams scrimmaged each other in several matches, with the links sent to over 1,000 college coaches around the country. It helped for players at IMG to be showcased, while also working within the college dead period guidelines, and remaining compliant with COVID protocols.

In addition to live streaming matches, the IMG Academy Soccer High Performance team was able to bring a 10-month development plan to life for the players. By recording training and matches, the High-Performance team was able to work with each player to enhance his or her technical skills, tactical awareness, and game understanding.

As a boarding school based in Florida, IMG Academy was able to play 200 matches in the fall. Along with that, players have managed to take part in over 160 training sessions to enhance their development. Focus has not just been on tactical and training work on the field, but strength and conditioning sessions in the gym, mental conditioning, leadership, life skills training and learning about nutrition.

Here’s a look at where the IMG Academy class of 2021 is heading.

Boys Program:

Girls Program: