An inside look into the nation's top high school football facility, one that features a Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
IMG Academy's facility is massive. It features 52 tennis courts, 12 soccer fields, three full-sized baseball fields, two lacrosse fields, four basketball courts and two football practice fields.
Photo by Marc Estrada
We thought we had found the most impressive high school football facility in the country
when we documented the field, weight room and locker rooms at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.
Then IMG Academy came along.
In its first season playing a full varsity high school football schedule, IMG Academy has already made a splash on the local and national high school football scene. Not only have the Ascenders attracted top talent, but they've won football games.
Thanks in large part to the likes of Alabama commit
Bo Scarbrough, the team's feature running back, and Penn State-bound quarterback
Michael O'Connor,
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) has jumped out to a 5-0 record.
It is an independent FHSAA member school. So while it abides by FHSAA rules and regulations, it is not currently eligible for state playoffs. Currently, its roster reflects players from 16 states and five different countries.
Given how impressive the IMG Academy facilities are, perhaps the school's ability to attract top-notch talent should come as no surprise. The same campus that hosts world class athletes, future NBA Draft picks and the U.S. U-17 Men's National Soccer Team is also home to the IMG Academy high school football team.
The team's 5,000-seat stadium features a Jumbotron that stands 39 feet tall with a 18-by-28-foot display screen, creating an almost college-like atmosphere on Friday nights.
What really separates IMG Academy, however, are the facilities the players have access to during the week.
For starters, players work out on a 10,000 square-foot weight room that also features a full track. The campus additionally offers a fully-covered, 60-yard practice field to use in the event of inclement weather.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the IMG Academy facilities is the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).
Excluding the GSSI located in Barrington, Ill., located near Gatorade's corporate headquarters in Chicago, the "satellite" GSSI is the only other location of its kind in the United States and only one of three in the entire world (the third is located in the United Kingdom).
IMG granted MaxPreps behind-the-scenes access to its incredible campus. Check the photos below to see why it is likely the nation's premier high school football facility.
The weight room at IMG Academy is 10,000 square feet.
Photo by Marc Estrada
Opened in Bradenton, Fla., in the summer of 2011, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) satellite lab is located in the center of IMG Academy, where thousands of athletes train each year.
Photo by Marc Estrada
Body composition, determined by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), is just one of the many services GSSI can provide athletes visiting the lab.
Photo by Marc Estrada
GSSI focuses on improving performance from a nutrition, hydration and recovery perspective by providing usable knowledge, strategies and tools that directly impact performance.
Photo by Marc Estrada
IMG Academy boasts a covered practice facility with a 60-yard field.
Photo by Marc Estrada
A shot of the exterior of IMG Academy Stadium.
Photo by Marc Estrada
IMG Academy Stadium's home bleachers and press box.
Photo by Marc Estrada
The school's campus shop sells IMG apparel.
Photo by Marc Estrada
Suites that overlook the field are located next to the press box area.
Photo by Marc Estrada
A look underneath the stadium.
Photo by Marc Estrada
IMG Academy Stadium features a professional-caliber jumbotron that highlights the team's players.
Photo by Marc Estrada
A view of the field from the the press box.
Photo by Marc Estrada
Michael O'Connor, IMG's quarterback, is committed to Penn State.
Photo by Marc Estrada
Bo Scarbrough, committed to Alabama, is one of the team's premier players.
Photo by Marc Estrada
