IMG Academy might as well be considered the 265th college football team in the United States in terms of resources. The Florida-based high school football program gives its athletes everything they need at a facility that puts most FCS and even some smaller FBS schools to shame.
However, I am here to focus entirely on food!
Most high school football teams are limited to pregame sandwiches from Jimmy John’s or Jersey Mikes. Not the Ascenders. They eat extremely well. To the point that I am jealous.
What is IMG Academy?
IMG Academy is a private sports training and educational institution located in Bradenton, Florida. It was founded in 1978 and has since grown into the most prestigious athletic development center in the world for middle school and high school students.
The goal is to provide an immersive environment focused on academics and athletics. Student-athletes, who only live on campus, follow a strict schedule to maximize both education and training. They spend a portion of their day in the classroom and a portion of their day in the gym or the weight room, watching film and meeting with coaches, and/or on the field. Their daily routine mirrors that of a collegiate athlete.
IMG’s football team is dominant. It boasts a record of 103-7 over its first 11 seasons with two national championships. More than 175 players went on to play college football on the D1 level. Six consecutive NFL Drafts featured a first-round pick from the program.
What kind of food do they eat?
The menu obviously changes from day to day but there is no shortage of delicious meals. IMG athletes eat a diet that is on par with, or greater than a large number of college football programs.
There are nutrition-specific staffers who help them to reach their target weight goals and to properly fuel their bodies. They have unlimited access to a dining hall that focuses primarily on protein and complex carbs, with the occasional sweet treats.
Garrett Graham, an undersized defensive lineman for the Ascenders, documented everything he eats in a day at IMG. He does not go hungry.
The rising sophomore also went through and rated all of his meals. The options presented to him by IMG Academy more closely resemble my college dining hall than my high school cafeteria— with even better selections for dessert.
As you can see, the athletes in Bradenton are not going hungry. They eat better than most adults!