Early Contenders high school football team preview: No. 4 IMG Academy

The most talked-about high school football program in the country might just be rounding into form.

That's not good for other teams trying to win a mythical national title.

With seven of the top 100 recruited seniors players in the country and 13 of the top 134, there's no question that IMG Academy has the best overall top-tier talent in the nation.

But despite being a private school that plucks elite players from all over the nation, the fourth-year program can't yet match traditional powers in terms of continuity, tradition and long-term cohesion.

That said, with a full season and calendar year under his belt, head coach Kevin Wright and staff of 17 (10 coaches, seven administrators) feel like their imprint and "culture" has clearly been established. The former prep head coach at Carmel (Indianapolis), Union (Tulsa, Okla.) and Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), and offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky University, was hired late in the spring of 2015.

With loads of talent last season as well, the Ascenders lost an exhibition opener to Trinity Christian Academy then won their nine regular-season games against such formidable teams as DeSoto (Texas), Cocoa (Fla.) and New Jersey squads Bergen Catholic (Oradell), St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) and Paramus Catholic.

The school is ineligible for the Florida playoffs, so thus has beefed up its schedule to 13 games. And with 96 players in the program — up from 68 last year — Wright enters 2016 with feet planted firmly.

"The biggest challenge and the biggest reward of the spring was building the culture and laying a foundation," he said. "We got to do some real teaching that was harder last year when we were first just coming together. We've made real progress."

With so many 4- and 5-star players, the vast IMG campus has been inundated with college coaches. Wright said there were more than 200 of them representing at least 100 colleges passing through in the spring. He estimated about two dozen of his players received offers, mostly at the FBS level.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, 14 of the nation's top 562 seniors are from IMG and four more rank among the top 1,300.

See the IMG Academy Early Contenders photo shoot

"There's talent for sure, but we've been equally impressed with the character and quality of the kids," Wright said.

There are just seven returning starters, four on the offensive line, but Wright notes that 10 returners started at different times.

The Players
Two newcomers lead each side of the ball: linebacker Dylan Moses (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) and quarterback Kellen Mond (6-2, 205).

Moses is the No. 2 recruit overall in the country and transferred in January from University (Baton Rouge, La.), where he stood out wherever he lined up: running back, receiver, returner and linebacker. He'll finally be able to focus at the position he'll play in college.

Moses has more than 40 offers, including the ongoing one he received from LSU as an eighth-grader. His top three choices, according to 247Sports, are LSU, Alabama and Texas. Miami and Ohio State aren't far behind.

"You can't coach or even comprehend what he has," Wright said. "He squats more than 500 pounds, power lifts 380, runs a 4.45 40-yard dash. We had a freak athlete here last year (Drake Davis) and Dylan is the same mold.

"He's a man of few words though. When he does talk, people will definitely listen. He's a high-character kid who gets his work done and leads by example."

He'll have a load of top-ranked defenders around him, including Maryland-bound lineman Joshua Kaindoh (6-6, 250), fellow linebackers Jordan Anthony (6-1, 228) and Santino Marchiol (6-3, 224, Texas A&M) and Ohio State-bound defensive backs Isaiah Pryor (6-1, 195) and Marcus Williamson (5-9, 180). Safety Grant Delpit (6-4, 181) is another four-star recruit.

Mond is considered the third-best dual threat quarterback in the country, but Wright thinks his big arm might be overlooked. He committed to Texas A&M this week.

"We definitely see him as a passer first," he said. "He definitely can extend plays with his legs, which makes him extra dangerous. But he can really throw the deep ball."

That's welcome news to a deep receiving core led by Jhamon Ausbon (6-3, 217, LSU) and Emmanuel Greene (5-10, 171, UCF). Mond should be protected well by center Cesar Ruiz (6-2, 288), guards Robert Hainsey (6-5, 280) and Broc Bando (6-5, 270, Nebraska) and tight ends Tre' Mckitty (6-5, 240) and Jack Camper (6-5, 240, Michigan State).

After Moses, Kaindoh (26), Pryor (43), Ausbon (67), Hainsey (70), Mond (78) and Delpit (98) all rank among the top 100 seniors overall. Wide receiver Brian Hightower (6-3, 195, No. 79) is one of the nation's top-ranked juniors.

The Schedule
The Ascenders recovered from last year's opening hiccup, even if it didn't count. They open at home against No. 42 Carol City (Miami) in an exhibition before traveling to No. 2 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) in what many consider the game of the year.

"On top of all those athletes, they added one of the top and most accomplished coaches in the state (Jeff Herron)," Wright said. "He's going to implement a lot of new things. That's going to be a major challenge."

After that, IMG travels to California to face No. 21 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the Honor Bowl.

"Boom, boom, boom," Wright said. "We'll be tested right away."

There's plenty of challenges from there, including games against longtime national power Long Beach Poly (Calif.), No. 18 Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.) and No. 44 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.), all on the road.