Receiver K.J. Osborn impresses at IMG Academy

K.J. Osborn is a 17-year-old rising senior wide receiver standing 6 feet, 190 pounds. He enrolled at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in the spring of 2014 looking to take his skills to the next level while keeping a focus on academics. More than 120 Division I coaches visited IMG Academy football practices in May, resulting in Osborn picking up three initial offers, while earning a spot on many other schools' radars. Before relocating to Florida, the Ypsilanti, Mich. native was regarded as one of the top wide receivers in the state. Now the Michigan-born speedster is looking to make a name for himself in the football powerhouse state of Florida.

"This is probably the best coaching staff in the country and I've gotten so much better as a receiver. There are so many little techniques I've been learning," Osborn said of the immediate benefits he has seen. "When I spend time with the defense, learning from Coach Joe [Sturdivant] is great because he played [defensive back] at SMU, and then on offense, having Coach E.G. Green who played at Florida State and in the NFL teaching me footwork and techniques on catching the ball has been great. I've become such a better football player since getting here."

As soon as Osborn arrived in Florida he hit the ground running, literally, immediately joining the IMG Academy Track & Field and Cross Country program to run in the 100m and 200m dash.

Osborn said of his track experience: "I've been running track since sixth-grade. I never really liked it, but I knew it helped with football. But working with Coach [Loren] Seagrave here, he's the track guru, and Coach Marsha [Horan], they helped me perfect my technique running. I definitely started liking it more."

Although running track was not the only extra training opportunity Osborn took advantage of when he arrived at IMG Academy. In February, he had an opportunity to participate in the NFL Network's filming of GameChangers with Steve Mariucci, highlighting some of the top college football prospects heading into the 2014 NFL Draft.

"At first, I thought it was some show about us, the players on the team, but then I walk up and I see [former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion] Kurt Warner, [former FSU WR] Kelvin Benjamin, [former LSU WR] Jarvis Landry and I was like, ‘oh my God…'," Osborn said of the film shoot. "Then [NFL Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion] Michael Irvin walked up. While he was teaching those guys, I was taking mental notes right along with them. It was such an incredible learning experience, learning the same things as these guys headed to the NFL Draft."

Although Osborn was a little surprised with the power of some of the pros during the film shoot when he was asked to hold a contact pad:

"When the guys were first hitting it, they were hitting it soft, and then [Michael Irvin] said he wanted them to hit it hard, so he hit the bag to show them and, well, I took a few steps back. When [former Notre Dame WR] TJ Jones it the bag, I could take it, but when Kelvin Benjamin hit it, I mean he's 6-foot-5 and about 240 pounds, so I took more than a few steps back."

During the GameChangers shoot, Osborn also had the opportunity to run routes for former Clemson QB Tahj Boyd, former San Jose State QB David Fales, former Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater and Kurt Warner. Prior to that, he was asked to run routes for New York Jets QB Geno Smith and San Francisco 49ers signal caller Blaine Gabbert during offseason training sessions.

Apart from the fun, Osborn's days were filled with plenty of hard work during spring practices, both on and off the field. His days began at 5:00 a.m. with a wake-up call from teammates before getting down to the weight room for a 6:00 a.m. lifting session with strength and conditioning coach Eric Grantham.

"A cup of coffee might help you get going, but Eric Grantham, he'll wake you up - pushing the prowler sled when I first got here was the worst thing ever," Osborn said of working with the vocal strength coach. "But Coach Grantham pays attention to the speed of our lifts and makes sure we're always using the right techniques. He knows what he's doing, and I completely trust that he's going to get me where I need to be."

Osborn is definitely getting where he wants to be. During the spring, Osborn packed on more than 20 pounds of lean muscle and was at 190 pounds for his final spring weigh-in. His bench press also improved dramatically, attaining a one-rep max of 275 pounds, a 50-pound improvement from January.

After weights, Osborn rushes through a quick breakfast and jets off to class. His favorite class, he says, is his advanced composition class with Ms. Ashley Marrinan-Levy. Her enthusiasm and attentiveness to her students makes her a favorite among the student body. One aspect of IMG Academy that is not lost on Osborn is the abundance of academic resources.

"The student-to-teacher ratio is really low, so we get a lot of attention and help if we need it," Osborn said. "We can have tutors, then there is the LRC [Learning Resource Center] that's available to us to make sure we have everything we need to stay on top of our grades."

Osborn enjoys the academic side of IMG Academy, but learning to manage his time between school and sport was a major transition:

"You don't have much time to goof around - you have to get your homework done, and you have to get sleep to give your muscles time to recover, because the training here can take a lot out of you."

The heat was another considerable transition for Osborn, who said that going from the chilly temperatures of Michigan to the soaring heat of Florida was not easy.

On the other hand, one transition he has really enjoyed is the abundance of cultural diversity on campus, with more than 80 countries represented among his classmates:

"It's great, because you learn so much about so many different people, cultures and styles. When they say ‘don't judge a book by its cover,' that's especially true here. You learn so much about cultural and racial diversity in so many other countries, which is something I don't think you could learn anywhere else."

Once school is done for the day, Osborn does not dawdle. He takes his lunch to go and heads to his dorm room to eat, and catch a quick nap to be alert for practice. Osborn typically gets to practice a little early for tape and treatment prior to reporting for team meetings. Going to the football facilities is exciting for Osborn, especially after the football program moved into its brand-new 40,000 square-foot fieldhouse in the spring, complete with state-of-the-art meeting spaces, locker rooms and equipment and athletic training rooms.

Of the new facilities, Osborn explained, "It's unreal. This place is like the Oregon of high school with all the facilities, all the gear and everything else. It raises the expectations we put on ourselves, because it makes us much more focused on our assignments and what we have to do. It's on us to perform and try to be the best in the country."

Osborn is doing everything he can to prep for the fall. Earlier in the spring, Osborn projected to play on both sides of the ball, but has settled in at wide receiver, working with his position coach and offensive coordinator E.G. Green on a daily basis.

"Coach EG Green always tells us about his playing days at FSU and in the NFL, and shares all his tricks and techniques with us that helped him through his career," Osborn said of what Coach Green has taught him. "He gives us so many tools to use on the field, and he's always telling us everything that we did right and wrong to make sure we're always paying attention to our footwork and technique."

Osborn also expects to make his mark on special teams, working with Coach Billy Miller, who recently joined the coaching staff from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After practice, Osborn will soak in the cold tub before heading back to his room to knock out another round of homework, maybe get in a game or two of FIFA 2015 on Xbox, and get some much needed rest.

However, he goes to bed hungry every single night thinking about one game - the October 17 home game against defending Florida 3A state champions Trinity Christian out of Jacksonville:

"I think we have what it takes to beat anyone on any day, but I'll be looking forward to Trinity. That's when I'm going up against the No. 1 corner in the country [Kevin Toliver]."