IMG Academy Is Now Preparing Athletes to Manage Potential NIL Riches Which Await on the College Level

With landmark NCAA changes set to deliver direct payments to college athletes, IMG Academy is equipping its students with the tools to succeed financially

IMG Academy attracts elite athletes from across the country. Those athletes now receive training on to handle potential NIL riches. / Stacy White

IMG Academy Ahead of the NIL Curve

IMG Academy prides itself on preparing its student-athletes for success on the next level and even beyond. In addition to elite training for their given sport, and the education to thrive as a college student, the Bradenton, Florida athletic powerhouse has begun prepping its students to meet the changing Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) landscape of big time college sports.

Specifically, IMG has begun offering guidance on how NIL revenue sharing will impact the finances of the elite athletes, fortunate enough to receive those offers.

NCAA Revenue Sharing Changes Everything

Until recently, NIL meant athletes had the right to negotiate marketing deals to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness. As of July 1, however, every Division 1 school will have the ability share up to $20.5 million of its annual revenues with its student athletes, in the form of direct payments.

A New Era: $20.5 Million in Potential Payments

This landmark change is a result of last year's settlement between the NCAA and it's conferences with plaintiffs in three different class action lawsuits. The settlement, which received final approval earlier this month, may result in a loss of college opportunities for some high school student-athletes. For elite athletes, similar to those spread throughout IMG's sports teams, the opportunity to make life-altering earnings as a college athlete have never been greater.

IMG’s Unique Resources Put It at the Forefront

"This moment in time for someone being at IMG Academy is exciting," Kyle Brey, IMG's director of football, recently told The Destin Log. "It’s not intimidating. This is a chance for us to flex a muscle that makes us different.

"We are the only high school on the planet that has the resources to be as far ahead of these conversations as we are. And when the landscape changes is when our resources really get challenged. And that’s when we can step up."

According to the Destin Log report, IMG's vice president of athletics, Brian Nash, said the school has been consulting with colleges in preparation for this moment, for more than a year. The school has also enlisted the services of outside professionals to provide advice for athletes transitioning to this new era of college athletics, while helping IMG administrators be better prepared to help their student athletes.

"If you don't bring these people to campus and you don't share the messaging with the kids, they're definitely behind the eight-ball," Nash said to the Destin Log. "To me, the kids were excited for them to come to campus because they knew that they were getting something that kids at other schools weren't getting."