IMG Academy

IMG Academy holds ribbon cutting for new state-of-the-art Student Residence Hall

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:14:37 +0000

Bradenton, Fla. (May 21, 2013) – Last evening IMG Academy held a ribbon cutting for the latest addition to its expanding campus - a five-story Student Residence Hall.

The opening of the new Hall comes just weeks after IMG Academy broke ground on a new multi-sport complex that will open in August.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to open our new Residence Hall, which will quickly become the hub of our campus and provide each boarding student with a living space very similar to what they will experience in college,” remarked Rich Odell, Vice President of Student Affairs and Headmaster, IMG Academy. “This incredible facility marks just the beginning of a campus expansion plan that will include new academic buildings, student life facilities, and sport complexes.”

Several hundred students and staff, as well as community partners led by architect Fawley Bryant and Tandem Construction, were on hand for the event. Special guest Michael Dolan, Chairman and CEO of IMG Worldwide, made the trip to IMG Academy after receiving a personal invite signed by members of the IMG Academy Student Council. Dolan did the honors of cutting the ribbon, leading to a flooding of the Hall by eager students seeking a look at their new home.

Remarked Rick Fawley, President, Fawley Bryant: “The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Residence Hall featured an energized IMG Academy student body - reminding me that the social environments we create for student-athletes are just as critical to maximizing their personal growth potential as ensuring their long term success to become great citizens of the world.”

Echoed Peter Hayes, President, Tandem: “Since our first days on campus, we have recognized and appreciated IMG’s vision and commitment to transforming this local facility into a world class sports training and educational campus like none other. Last evening, as students and stakeholders from across the country and around the world gathered to celebrate the completion of the first major building component of the new master plan, it became evident that the future is now. Inspiration, collaboration, focus and an unwavering resolve to be the very best is that which defines IMG and the leadership that has made it all possible. We are so very proud to be a member of the IMG Team!”

The Residence Hall will house 500 students during the academic year with the ability to expand to 1000 during the summer camp season. The building is wireless throughout and features a state-of-the-art security system. Floors two through five will feature academic study rooms, while the lounge area on the first floor will feature: a toiletries/snack shop; mail room; large-screen televisions; high-top table seating and relaxing furniture; pool, foosball, ping pong tables; and more. The first floor will also house Campus Life and Health Services offices, as well as a 24/7 Campus Safety desk in the lobby. Ten adults will live in the building – one on each wing of each floor – and will serve as resident assistants for the students.

IMG Academy celebrates the ribbon cutting of the new Residence Hall!

Additions to high school football coaching staff announced

kim.berard@imgworld.com — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:13:33 +0000

After kicking off spring practices in preparation for its inaugural season, IMG Academy has announced additions to its high school football coaching staff.

“We made it a priority to assemble a coaching staff with experience at every level, and who are able to deliver the level of training that has made IMG Academy what it is today,” remarked Chris Weinke, Director of Football and Head Coach, IMG Academy.

The 2013-14 IMG Academy football coaching staff includes:

Chris Weinke, Head Coach/Quarterbacks - Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and seven-year NFL veteran Chris Weinke has served as Director of Football at IMG Academy since the program’s inception in 2010. Weinke has helped develop countless youth, collegiate and professional players over the years, and will now serve as Head Coach and Quarterbacks Coach for IMG Academy’s high school team.

E.G. Green, Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers - E.G. Green played collegiately for Florida State University (1993-97), earning second team All-American honors, and spent three seasons with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts (1998-2000). Green, who spent last season coaching wide receivers at American Heritage-Plantation, will bring his extensive collegiate and professional experience to the program, serving as the Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach.

Joe Sturdivant, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers - A two-time All-Conference USA selection as a defensive back for Southern Methodist University (2003-06), Sturdivant boasts both domestic and international coaching experience. Prior to joining IMG Academy, Sturdivant was the Defensive Coordinator for First Baptist Academy in Dallas, Texas (2009-10), before accepting a position as Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the German Football League’s Marburg Mercenaries (2011). Sturdivant will serve as Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for IMG Academy.

Michael Gruttadauria, Offensive Line - Gruttadauria played collegiately at the University of Central Florida (1991-94), and played professionally for seven seasons with the St. Louis Rams (1996-2000) and Arizona Cardinals (2001-03), earning a Super Bowl title as starting center for the Rams during the 1999 season. Gruttadauria joins the IMG Academy staff as Offensive Line Coach.

Adam Behrends, Running Backs/Assistant Quarterbacks Coach - Behrends played collegiately at Minnesota State University Mankato before entering the coaching profession. Behrends joined IMG Academy in 2011, earning experience coaching both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and now serves as Running Backs Coach and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach.

Michael Hawthorne, Defensive Backs - Hawthorne played collegiately in the Big 10 for the Purdue Boilermakers (1995-1999), and spent six seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints (2000-03), Green Bay Packers (2003-04) and St. Louis Rams (2005). Hawthorne will bring his extensive playing and coaching experience to the program as Defensive Backs Coach.

Andrew Myers, Defensive Line - Before arriving at IMG Academy, Myers worked for the University of Minnesota football program, assisting the defensive coaches on the field, as well as with film breakdown, scouting reports, and weekly playbook and formation hit chart preparation. Myers will serve as Defensive Line Coach for IMG Academy.

Competing as an FHSAA Independent in 2013, the team will play its home games in the new IMG Academy Stadium, with the first home game slated for August 24.

Additions to high school football coaching staff announced

Defending CFL Grey Cup champions hold mini-camp at IMG Academy

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:27:05 +0000

The CFL season does not begin until June 27th, but the Toronto Argonauts are already preparing to chase a repeat. After defeating the Calgary Stampeders to win the Grey Cup last year, the Argonauts knew they needed to continue their hard work throughout the offseason. This week they traveled to Bradenton, Fla. to train at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy for mini-camp. The four day mini-camp wrapped up on April 30.

The Argonauts brought a large group of rookies and a select few veteran quarterbacks. The team did a variety of drills including one-on-ones, agility workouts and position specific drills to evaluate the youth on the roster. Each of the players on the field were fighting for a spot at the Training camp that will take place before the season begins.

Last year’s Coach of the Year, Scott Milanovich, was doing a lot of evaluating in order to make important roster decisions, and get his team ready for June, “We’re just trying to get our team ready and find out the guys we want to take. These are a lot of the young guys that we worked out in the offseason. We only take about 20 of these guys to the actual training camp so we have to sort through.”

The players practiced twice a day at IMG Academy. Although many were fatigued, they were taking every practice seriously, and their competitiveness showed. There will be many difficult decisions for Milanovich and his staff to make as they continue to prepare to defend their 2012 Grey Cup championship.

Scenes from Argonauts mini-camp:

Toronto Argonauts hold mini-camp at IMG Academy

Thirty-three of 41 draft-eligible IMG Academy trainees selected in 2013 NFL Draft

david.portnowitz@imgworld.com — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:37:48 +0000

Thirty-three of 41 draft-eligible IMG Academy trainees were selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, including seven first-round selections.

The complete list follows:

Round One

Luke Joeckel (Texas A&M, OT) selected #2 by Jacksonville Jaguars
Sheldon Richardson (Missouri, DT) #13 by New York Jets
Eric Reid (LSU, S) #18 by San Francisco 49ers
Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame, TE) #21 by Cincinnati Bengals
Sharrif Floyd (Florida, DT) #23 by Minnesota Vikings
Bjoern Werner (Florida State, DE) #24 by Indianapolis Colts
DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson, WR) #27 by Houston Texans

Round Two

Justin Hunter (Tennessee, WR) selected #2 in the 2nd, #34 overall by Tennessee Titans
Manti Te’o (Notre Dame, LB) selected #6 in the 2nd, #38 overall by San Diego Chargers
Geno Smith (West Virginia, QB) selected #7 in the 2nd, #39 overall by New York Jets
Menelik Watson (FSU, OT) selected #10 in the 2nd, #42 overall by Oakland Raiders
Gavin Escobar (San Diego State, TE) selected #15 in the 2nd, #47 overall by Dallas Cowboys
Margus Hunt (Southern Methodist, DE) selected #21 in the 2nd, #53 overall by Cincinnati Bengals
Vance McDonald (Rice, TE) selected #23 in the 2nd, #55 overall by San Francisco 49ers
Montee Ball (Wisconsin, RB) selected #26 in the 2nd, #58 overall by Denver Broncos
Aaron Dobson (Marshall, WR) selected #27 in the 2nd, #59 overall by New England Patriots
Robert Alford (Southeastern Louisiana, CB) selected #28 in the 2nd, #60 overall by Atlanta Falcons
Eddie Lacy (Alabama, RB) selected #29 in the 2nd, #61 overall by Green Bay Packers

Round Three

Blidi Wreh-Wilson (Connecticut, CB) selected #8 in the 3rd, #70 overall by Tennessee Titans

Round Four

Matt Barkley (USC, QB) selected #1 in the 4th, #98 overall by Philadelphia Eagles
Nico Johnson (Alabama, LB) selected #2 in the 4th, #99 overall by Kansas City Chiefs
Tyler Wilson (Arkansas, QB) selected #15 in the 4th, #112 overall by Oakland Raiders
Barrett Jones (Alabama, OG) selected #16 in the 4th, #113 overall by St. Louis Rams
Gerald Hodges (Penn State, LB) selected #23 in the 4th, #120 overall by Minnesota

Vikings

J.C. Tretter (Cornell, OT) selected #25 in the 4th, #122 overall by Green Bay Packers
Trevardo Williams (UConn, DE) selected #27 in the 4th, #124 overall by Houston Texans

Round Six

Chris Jones (Bowling Green, DT) selected #30 in the 6th, #198 overall by Houston Texans

Round Seven

Tommy Bohanon (Wake Forest, FB) selected #9 in the 7th, #215 overall by New York Jets
Nick Williams (Samford, DT) selected #17 in the 7th, #223 overall by Pittsburgh Steelers
Garrett Gilkey (Chadron State, OL) selected #21 in the 7th, #227 overall by Cleveland Browns
Everett Dawkins (Florida State, DT) selected #23 in the 7th, #229 overall by Minnesota Vikings
Ty Powell (Harding, LB) selected #25 in the 7th, #231 overall by Seattle Seahawks
Zac Dysert (Miami-Ohio, QB) selected #28 in the 7th, #234 overall by Denver Broncos

More than 40 prospects traveled to IMG Academy in January to prepare for the annual NFL Scouting Combine and ultimately increase their draft stock. IMG Academy’s renowned NFL Combine/Draft Training program presents athletes with education and training in position-specific skills, speed and movement, physical and mental conditioning, sports nutrition and hydration, vision training, communication and more. Former program participants include: 2012 NFL Draft first-round picks Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins, #8) and Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers, #9); 2012 later-round gems like Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks, #75) and Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins, #173); 2011 first-round selections, Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers, #1) and Anthony Castonzo (Indianapolis Colts, #22); 2004 first-round pick Eli Manning (San Diego Chargers, #1); and 2001’s first pick of the second round, Drew Brees (San Diego Chargers, #32).

Thirty-three IMG Academy trainees selected in 2013 NFL Draft

Seven IMG Academy trainees selected in first round of 2013 NFL Draft

david.portnowitz@imgworld.com — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:42:57 +0000

Seven IMG Academy trainees were selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft last night in New York City. They included:

Luke Joeckel (Texas A&M, OT) selected #2 by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Sheldon Richardson (Missouri, DT) #13 by the New York Jets
Eric Reid (LSU, S) #18 by the San Francisco 49ers
Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame, TE) #21 by the Cincinnati Bengals
Sharrif Floyd (Florida, DT) #23 by the Minnesota Vikings
Bjoern Werner (Florida State, DE) #24 by the Indianapolis Colts
DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson, WR) #27 by the Houston Texans

Seven players who trained at IMG Academy selected in the first round of the NFL Draft

Eric Reid makes epic journey from Dutchtown to LSU to the NFL draft

intern — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:01:18 +0000

It’s 1,365 miles from Dutchtown High School in Geismar to Radio City Music Hall in New York.

For Eric Reid, the lengthy journey started with a single step from one side of the ball to the other, thanks to a former teammate who became a foe who helped him make up his mind.

“The first time I decided football was going to be my sport I was 14-years-old going into high school,” Reid said. “I thought I would be a running back, but Eddie Lacy was there. He’s the reason I switched to safety.”

Lacy, who went to start at running back at Alabama, may or may not be a first-round draft selection Thursday, depending which of a mountain of mock drafts you choose to consider.

But with Reid, there is less debate. A number of projections see him going anywhere from the middle of the first round to the middle of the second. Several have the former LSU free safety hovering around the 21st or 22nd pick, selections belonging to the Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Rams, respectively.

“I don’t have a clue,” Reid said of his NFL destination.

He does have a strong sense of where he’s been.

Since his announcement back on Jan. 4 that he would be one of 11 LSU players declaring early for the NFL draft, Reid’s spring has been a frenetic one. The season of change from college to NFL will likely come to a dramatic conclusion Thursday with the first round of the NFL draft (7 p.m., ESPN and the NFL Network).

Reid actually started interviewing agents before his announcement to go pro (it’s permitted as long as the student-athlete doesn’t sign a contract). He eventually settled on Jimmy Sexton, well known in these parts as Nick Saban’s agent who brokered the deal that got him to LSU. Sexton had his own firm but now works with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the famous entertainment and sports management firm.

Even before submitting his paperwork to enter the draft, Reid headed to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to prepare for the NFL Combine with 41 other pro prospects in IMG’s NFL Draft Training Program.

It was there he worked with former LSU track and field coach Loren Seagrave on speed and agility and on his defensive backs skills with former Saints cornerback Michael Hawthorne.

Reid and Hargrove had an instant rapport, which Hawthorne said was borne out of Reid’s desire to improve.

“He was like a dream to work with,” said Hawthorne, who played for the Saints from 2000-04.

“You can come in with a lot of hype, a lot of this, a lot of that, and that usually brings a lot of attitude. But Eric was very humble, a student willing to learn. That was a pleasure for me, because it showed he’s serious about this next step in his life.”

From Florida, it was off to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine.

That was followed by a series of workouts at the training facilities of the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Cincinnati.

He worked out for a number of other teams, including the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, at LSU.

“I was so busy,” Reid said. “I was tired of being in airports and on planes. But it’s part of the opportunity I’m fortunate to have.”

A trip back to the IMG Academy to work with Hawthorne and Seagrave preceded a return to LSU for its March 27 Pro Day.

At IMG, Reid worked on conditioning, nutrition, foot, hip and hand-eye coordination, even media interview training sessions.

“If he didn’t get it right, he wanted to do it over and over and over,” Hawthorne said. “I didn’t have to tell him. He would drill himself.”

Though a career safety, Hawthorne said he is confident Reid has the skills to even be a cornerback now.

“The more you can do, the more valuable you are” to an NFL team, Hawthorne said. “Eric will have the skill set to play a lot of man-to-man coverage.”

LSU coach Les Miles said whichever team drafts Reid will be getting a lot of value for their investment.

“You’ve got a guy who runs well, is bright as a whip and can line up your defense and your secondary,” Miles said.

“He understands everyone has an adjustment and he’ll know it inside-out.

“He’s a physical player with great ball skills. I don’t know how you’re not excited about Eric Reid.”

The excitement will be palpable for Team Reid in New York on Thursday.

Eric Reid Sr., a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame who won the 1987 NCAA 110-meter hurdles under Seagrave, said as many as 17 family members will travel there to await Eric Jr.’s selection.

“I’ll probably be nervous Thursday,” Reid said. “I’ll just be sitting in the green room, waiting.”

Waiting, and perhaps remembering the steps that took him from obscurity at Dutchtown to LSU to a chance to walk across the big stage at Radio City.

Tune in Thursday night to see where this year's IMG Academy NFL Combine Training Program participants go in the NFL Draft

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:51:24 +0000

Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the 2013 NFL Draft will get underway. The Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and several of this year's IMG Academy Combine trainees are projected as possibilities. Will it be Texas A&M OL Luke Joeckel? West Virginia QB Geno Smith? Tune into find out, and to see where all the other trainees will be playing football on Sundays this fall.

The Draft will get underway on Thurs., April 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST, followed by the second and third rounds on Fri., April 26 at 6:30 p.m. EST. Rounds 4-7 will be held Sat., April 27 at 12 p.m. ET.

Don't forget to visit IMG Academy on Facebook and 'Like' our page to enter for a chance to win an IMG Academy prize pack! Simply go to: https://www.facebook.com/IMGAcademy

In addition to Joeckel and Smith, the remaining list of IMG Academy trainees to look out for includes:

Eddie Lacy, Alabama, RB	Matt Barkley, Southern Cal, QB
Bjoern Werner, Florida State, DE	Menelik Watson, Florida State, OT
Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, LB	Trevardo Williams, Connecticut, LB
Sheldon Richardson, Missouri, DT	Gerald Hodges, Penn State, LB
Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame, TE	Everett Dawkins, Florida State, DT
Shariff Floyd, Florida, DT	Kwame Geathers, Georgia, DT
DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson, WR	Zach Line, Southern Methodist, FB
Eric Reid, LSU, S	Vance McDonald, Rice, TE
Barrett Jones, Alabama, C/OG	J.C. Tretter, Cornell, OG
Tyler Wilson, Arkansas, QB	Tommy Bohanon, Wake Forest, FB
Justin Hunter, Tennessee, WR	Gavin Escobar, San Diego State, TE
Zac Dysert, Miami (Ohio), QB	Albert Rosette, Nevada, LB
Margus Hunt, Southern Methodist, DE	John Wetzel, Boston College, OT
Montee Ball, Wisconsin, RB	Ty Powell, Harding, LB
Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut, CB	Garrett Gilkey, Chadron State, OL
Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana, CB	Devin Smith, Wisconsin, CB
Aaron Dobson, Marshall, WR	Nick Williams, Samford, DT
Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson, Cal, RB	Nico Johnson, Alabama, RB

Follow IMG Academy's trainees through the NFL Draft!

Have faith in Barrett Jones

intern — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:41:05 +0000

Barrett Jones, one of the most successful offensive linemen in college football history, is dressed in his Sunday church clothes and wedged into the passenger seat of my rented SUV, calmly giving out directions. We're weaving our way through the suburban streets of Cordova, Tenn., having just spent an hour singing and praying together at Bellevue Baptist, the church Jones has attended since birth, and now we're eager to find and devour a hearty breakfast.

He gently encourages me to step on the accelerator, unless I want to be teased by his family for my inability to keep up with his mom, Leslie, who is deftly navigating traffic up ahead in her own SUV. This is what a good leader does -- he saves his teammates from potential embarrassment. And riding shotgun with me is one of the best leaders in the long and storied annals of Alabama football.

When Barrett Jones suggests something, people tend to follow, and it has very little to do with the fact that he's 6'4" and 306 pounds with hands the size of oven mitts.

We're swapping stories between stoplights when Jones brings up a subject that has dominated pre-draft conversation: the Mystery of Manti Te'o. "The whole thing is bizarre," he says.

Jones' perspective on the topic is particularly fascinating, but not just because he was the team captain and leader of the Crimson Tide offensive line unit that steamrolled Te'o & Co. in the national championship game, or because Jones and Te'o have been working out together for several months, training for the draft with a large group of players at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

I want to know what Jones thinks about Te'o because he and the former Notre Dame linebacker each represent opposite ends of a common NFL draft conundrum. As silly as the now-infamous imaginary girlfriend story might be, Te'o can't seem to shake questions about his character. (What did he know, and when did he know it?) Jones, on the other hand, is one of the few players in this year's draft whose character is so exemplary that it might be his best selling point. If Te'o can watch his draft stock slip because of a bizarre -- but ultimately harmless -- fake romance, why can't Jones' character help him hang on to a spot in the first three rounds while he rehabs a foot injury?

How much does character -- whether it's questionable or impeccable -- really matter when it comes to draft picks?

Jones says he can't help but feel pangs of sympathy for Te'o, an admission that seems ironic considering that just a few months ago he was one of the Crimson Tide linemen humbling the Notre Dame linebacker on national television as Alabama pummeled the Fighting Irish 42-14.

"Manti is a really nice guy. Just really nice," Jones says. "Every day, [analysts] are just hammering him on TV. Hammering him! 'Manti's draft stock is plummeting!'

"At IMG, the TVs are always on and it's so awkward. Did he make some mistakes? Yeah. But do I think he fabricated the whole thing? Definitely not. I think he got duped. It's just a hard situation to handle. I don't know what I would have done."

Of course, it's difficult -- maybe even impossible -- to picture Jones getting mixed up in the kind of mess that turned Te'o from a Heisman finalist into a talk show and Twitter punch line. If Jones had been interested in protecting his draft stock, he might have sat out against Notre Dame and started rehabbing the Lisfranc injury he suffered in his left foot during the SEC championship. But Jones wouldn't even entertain the thought. He is the rare college football player who has been successful in virtually every aspect of his life, the kind of amateur athlete the oligarchy of NCAA administrators probably wishes it could clone. A four-year starter at Alabama and an All-American at three positions, Jones helped the Crimson Tide win three national championships during his career. Along the way, he earned straight A's on the way to both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in accounting in 4 1/2 years.

"Some people feel like they have to be good at school, and they really stress about it," Jones says. "I never really stressed about it. I just kind of did it. I have a desire to be excellent at everything I do."

During college, he helped organize two missions to Haiti to help with disaster relief after the 2010 earthquake killed 316,000 people and left the country's infrastructure in ruins. It was difficult to find a flight into Haiti, so and he and several members of his church booked a flight to the Dominican Republic and drove across the border. They helped rebuild a school and an orphanage in Port-au-Prince and spent days fixing basic amenities like showers and toilets. Some days, they did nothing but hand out food.

"I just felt like I wanted to help," Jones says matter-of-factly when asked what motivated the trips.

His selfless approach also hasn't been limited to working in foreign countries. When tornadoes tore apart Tuscaloosa in April 2011, Jones walked door-to-door with his chain saw to help clear debris to make sure people could stay safe amid the rubble.

What does any of this have to do with football? Very little in the eyes of some people. But it's a good example of how Jones tries to live his life, putting other people first. A top recruit coming out of high school, he spent two years as a starter at right guard for the Crimson Tide, including 14 games as a redshirt freshman when Alabama won its first national championship in 17 years. Unable to find a suitable left tackle in 2011, Alabama coach Nick Saban and his staff asked whether Jones would give the position a try, and he responded by giving up only three sacks all season. He won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football, and Alabama won another BCS championship.

"I was actually a little surprised at how well I did there," Jones says.

In Jones' senior year, it happened again. Alabama couldn't find a replacement for center William Vlachos, who had graduated, and so Jones agreed to switch positions once more and anchor the line. It gave the Tide a chance to insert sophomore Cyrus Kouandjio at left tackle, and Kouandjio looked like a future first-round draft pick. Meanwhile, Jones won the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation's best center, and Alabama won its third championship in four seasons.

"I feel like some people think I moved [to center] because I got beat out, and they had to find somewhere else to put me," Jones says. "That wasn't the case. It was more like Coach Saban wanted to play the best five people we had. If there is a better No. 2 left tackle than there is a No. 2 center, why wouldn't you want him to play?"

The Te'o mess has made me wary of simple narratives, so I'm trying to be on high alert for signs that Jones might be too good to be true. But everywhere we go, people seem to be drawn to him as if he's running for office. They're looking for fist-bumps or begging for a "Roll Tide!" as we pass them on the sidewalk, and he always obliges.

Jones is ridiculously polite, almost to a fault. When we're seated at the Italian restaurant where Jones' family frequently grabs Sunday brunch after church, our overworked server twice forgets to bring him water, and eventually Jones sighs and gives up trying to get his attention, then plows through his Mexican omelet.

"Just think of this as a good opportunity for you to show us all what a loving, forgiving Christian you are," teases Jones' father, Rex, a wise-cracking high school administrator who played college basketball for the Crimson Tide in the early 1980s.

Saban isn't shy about telling people how he feels about Jones. "I don't know [anyone] on our team who doesn't like him," Saban said after the BCS championship game. "That's saying a lot. You could never say any of those things about me."

The 61-year-old Saban not only considers Jones one of the five best players he's ever coached, and one of the "top people in the history of college football," he'll even go so far as to say Jones is one of the five most influential people in his own life. He doesn't so much answer questions about Jones as he does recite a monologue he's written to sell me on Jones' virtues.

"I think Barrett has just a genuine, great character about him," Saban says. "He has great thoughts, habits, priorities. He's compassionate. He's willing to serve other people. The team is important to him. For a guy his age, he's always shown tremendous foresight for what he wants to accomplish, and what he wants his team to accomplish. You just don't find very many young people who have that well-diversified center about them. He's well-spoken, he really respects and appreciates other people. He's very positive. He's responsible. He's a very hard worker. It's so rare to find a combination of all those things in one person."

Why, then, is the NFL so lukewarm on Jones as an NFL prospect? Scouts have questions about his feet and strength, and doubts about his athleticism. He's projected, at best, as a second- or third-round pick. Good character, says Lions coach Jim Schwartz, can make a scout or a GM more comfortable, but only so much. "The one thing you want to try to avoid having is a reason other than athletic ability for why the guy doesn't succeed," Schwartz says. "I think good character makes you feel stronger about your evaluation because it will cushion a little bit of the volatility that comes with drafting anybody. When you're in a people business, you don't know everything."

But ultimately it comes down to what teams see on tape. One longtime NFL scout believes Jones was one of the most overrated linemen in college football last season.

"He's just an average player," the scout says. "He's probably a fifth-round talent. But if you throw in all the intangibles -- work ethic, intelligence, toughness, competitiveness, instincts -- then it's a feel-good pick, something that will make the owner and the media happy. But it shows you what a joke those college awards are. He's never going to embarrass you off the field, but he'll probably be a backup forever. He could succeed in the right system, but he's just not very good."

Saban finds that analysis to be perfunctory -- at best -- when I relay some of what I've heard. For example, how do you quantify a player's ability to recognize a blitz he's seen on film only once and change the pass protection at the last second in front of 90,000 rabid LSU fans? Anyone can see it on film. It takes a highly analytical person to do those kinds of calculations in real time.

"I think it's a lot easier to recognize someone's physical talent and ability than it is to really evaluate their character," Saban says. "I don't think there is any question [Jones can have a 10-year career in the NFL]. A lot of guys spend just as much time preparing for the game, but when the game comes and things happen fast, their ability to anticipate what's going to happen is not nearly as good as someone like Barrett. Let me put it this way: He's not just a guy who could play bass guitar. He could get up lead the whole band and understand how it all fits together."

Who's to say Jones isn't the next Jeff Saturday or Matt Birk? Both were cerebral players who failed to impress scouts before they entered the league, but each went on to have a stellar career. Birk played 15 NFL seasons, Saturday played 14, each won a Super Bowl ring and each made it to the Pro Bowl six times.

When we finish breakfast, Jones and his parents invite me back to their house, where Rex builds a fire and we sit in the living room and talk about football and family and music for more than an hour. Barrett's younger brother, Harrison, is a tight end at Alabama, and his youngest brother, Walker, is a high school senior who is headed to Tuscaloosa in the fall to play linebacker for the Tide. The family Labrador, Rose, is curled up at Jones' feet as he tries to convince me he won't be upset if he slides even further down the draft. "I'd rather be drafted lower if it means going to a place where I can win," Jones says. "I love winning a lot more than I love money."

Leslie Jones, though, can't resist ribbing me about an ESPN report that ran two months ago claiming one of the concerns NFL teams have about her son is that he has "short arms." As it turns out, his arms are 34 1/8 inches, essentially the same length as Texas A&M tackle Luke Joeckel's, who likely will be the No. 1 pick.

"I couldn't wait for teams to measure him at the combine, because I knew that wasn't true!" Leslie says. "I've been buying him shirts for years, and they all stop halfway down his forearm."

Jones admits it's been a little frustrating that some teams seem to be looking for reasons he'll fail instead of reasons he can succeed. He's been obsessive about mastering just about everything he's ever done. During Jones' senior year of college, he joined a bowling league with friends. It was supposed to be relaxing and fun, but soon he was sneaking back to the lanes in his spare time, practicing by himself for hours, until he could roll games in the 200s. No one was willing to come right out and say it at the combine, but Jones couldn't help but suspect that teams were looking at his 4.0 GPA and his master's degree in accounting and using it to privately question his desire to be a professional football player. Will he run through a wall if they ask him to? Or will he have one eye on Harvard Business School or a political campaign?

"Almost every coach asked me why I play football, and I kind of feel like that's what they were getting at," Jones says. "I told every one of them: 'Look, I could do a lot of other things with my master's degree. And you might look at that in a negative way, but I look at it as a positive. There are other things I could be doing right now, but that's how much I love football. I'm here right now, and I want to play this game for as long as I can. I don't want to do other things.' "

It's no secret that future NFL players who can be described as Renaissance men when they're coming out of college also often carry a certain stigma that's difficult to shake. Myron Rolle, a former first-team freshman All-America safety at Florida State who was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 2009, says he experienced that stigma firsthand during his brief NFL career with the Titans and Steelers.

"It's weird to say this, but guys who have questionable character, guys who have maybe done some unsavory things, they sort of provide an edge that teams are often looking for," Rolle says. "[Coaches] look at those guys and think, this guy is going to go to war for me; he'll go to the edge for me. With guys who speak properly, have a 4.0 and play the violin like Barrett, they may think he's going to do more thinking than reacting or fighting.

I saw that and I felt it during my career. I hope it doesn't happen to Barrett, because he's a really talented player. It's a league that recycles a lot of the same thoughts, and I think some creativity and perspective get lost."

One doesn't have to search very hard for evidence of how hardwired Jones is as a competitor. You need only look at the closing minutes of the BCS championship game against Notre Dame, with Alabama leading by four touchdowns. Tide quarterback AJ McCarron was trying to get a play off with the clock winding down, but Jones -- who calls out the blocking schemes at the line -- wouldn't hike him the ball because they couldn't get on the same page about the scheme of the play. McCarron threw a fit after Alabama drew a delay-of-game penalty and barked at Jones with their face masks pressed together. Jones responded with a two-handed shove into his quarterback's chest.

"People thought, you and AJ don't get along because you pushed him!" Jones says. "We get along great. We're just both passionate and competitive about what we do. We had a disagreement about the snap count. It wasn't a big deal. We hugged 30 seconds later."

Jones pauses for a second, but he can't resist adding one final clarification.

"I was right, by the way," he says. He's smiling, but he's dead serious.

It's possible that Barrett Jones will flounder in the NFL and that his time at Alabama will represent the pinnacle of his football career. But the possibility also exists that the eye test is a superficial way to predict what comes next. Every year, NFL teams end up gambling on players who have failed a drug test, been arrested for assault or kicked off their teams, and they're frequently burned by those risks. This year, someone picking in the first round will almost certainly ignore the bizarre soap opera of Te'o's senior season and predict he'll be a success.

Isn't believing that the same can be true about Jones just a different leap of faith?

Coach Weinke sits down with Cleveland's ESPN Radio

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:13:21 +0000

Former Heisman trophy winner and IMG Academy director of football, Chris Weinke, sat down to speak with Cleveland's ESPN 850 WKNR. Weinke discusses the variety of athletes he has trained in this draft class as well as previous ones. Also, Weinke reveals a lot about IMG Academy's inaugural football team and more!

Click the link below to take a listen:

Chris Weinke- ESPN Cleveland

Listen to Coach Weinke on Cleveland's ESPN Radio

South Florida Express Elite wins IMG7v7 Southeast Regional Championship

john.esfeller@imgworld.com — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:27:06 +0000

The IMG7v7 Southeast Regional Championship concluded on Sunday with an all-Miami finale when the South Florida Express Elite faced off against the Florida Fire. The SFE Elite squared off with the Fire earlier in the day, and was sent to the loser’s bracket after suffering a one-point loss, 19-18. However, that would be the last loss on the day for the SFE Elite, who eliminated Team Tampa Too, Team Tampa and the No. 1 seeded Central Florida Top recruits on their way to the championship final, where they would have to defeat the Fire twice to claim the championship. The Florida Fire rode a 19-game winning streak through three events into the final, but SFE Elite did not flinch, and overcame with the Fire in a defensive struggle in Game 1 by a score of 12-9. In the second game, the Florida Fire was determined to avenge their first loss in three events, but their powerful offense struggled to find the endzone for the second straight game. With less than 10 seconds remaining, SFE Elite QB Sean White (University School, Miami, Fla./Class of 2014) stood tall in the pocket and threw a bullet to WR Sam Bruce (University School, Miami, Fla./Class of 2016), nephew of former NFL great Isaac Bruce, for the game winning TD, and the championship, 19-13.

“I just saw Sam Bruce, he’s a stud, beat his man to the outside, and I just threw it and put it there and he made the great catch,” White said of the game winning pass. “[The Florida Fire] were a good team, and it was fun to go against them – they were competitive, and that’s always a fun environment to play in.”

For the SFE Elite, this marked their second consecutive title in the Southeast Regional Championship. Last year, the SFE Elite, led by QB Akeem Jones, overtook Team Tampa for the championship to earn their place in the IMG7v7 National Championships. Once again, SFE Elite will look forward to defending their Regional Championship against the nation’s elite at the National Championships this summer.

“It was just great determination, and these kids wanted it – I thought they were running out of fuel a few games ago, but they took it personally, they’re competitors,” head coach Brett Goetz said of the championship win. “We’re excited to defend our Southeast Championship from last year, and we’re excited to come back her this summer and do it again.”

The South Florida Express Elite came out on top, but they are only one of four teams to qualify for a place in the IMG7v7 National Championships. Joining them will be runners-up Florida Fire, Central Florida Top Recruits and Team Tampa. The IMG7v7 Southeast Regional is the first of six direct qualifiers into the National Championships. The next direct qualifier will take place in Los Angeles, Calif. at the IMG7v7 West Regional, May 4-5.

The remaining schedule of direct qualifiers includes:

IMG7v7 West Regional	Los Angeles, Calif.	May 4-5
IMG7v7 Midwest Regional Championship	Chicago, Ill.	May 18-19
Midwest Elite 7v7 Passing Tournament	Detroit, Mich.	May 25-26
IMG7v7 Northeast Regional Championship	Philadelphia, Pa.	May 25-26
IMG7v7 Central Regional Championship	Knoxville, Tenn.	June 1-2

More photos of the IMG7v7 Southeast Regional Championship:

Early rounds:

Quarter and semifinals:

Final Bracket with results:

South Florida Express Elite are IMG7v7 Southeast Regional Champs!