Prep sports powerhouse IMG Academy to be sold for $1.25 billion: What does it mean long term?

IMG Academy, the Florida boarding school that has trained thousands of athletes who have gone on to college and pro stars in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and golf, is being sold to private equity group BPEA EQT for $1.25 billion. the school’s former owner Endeavor announced Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know:

• As part of the deal, IMG, which houses more than 1,400 students on its 400-acre campus each year, is partnering with Nord Anglia Education, which operates 82 boarding schools in 33 countries, including some in Asia. These schools will have access to IMG’s sports curriculum.
• From an athletics standpoint, nothing is expected to change in terms of day-to-day operations and setup at IMG̵[ads1]7;s Bradenton, Florida, campus.
• “Our purpose is to empower student-athletes to win their futures, preparing them for college and for life. We constantly strive to raise the bar in pursuit of this purpose through our on-campus and online experiences. At the same time, our staff is passionate about increasing impact we are having on the world, reach more families and help them on their journey,” Brent Richard, president of IMG Academy, said in a statement. “BPEA EQT and Nord Anglia are ideal partners to achieve and accelerate these goals, and we are excited to the future.”

What does this mean for IMG Academy in the long term?

More access to athletes from around the world. The school, founded in 1978 by the late Nick Bollettieri as a tennis academy, has placed over 30,000 students on college lists through 2022 and continues to attract top athletes to its elite campus and facilities. In 2023, IMG produced two five-star football recruits and had 16 recruits with Power 5 programs. The football program’s 2024 recruiting class is anchored by six top-100 recruits in the 247Sports Composite, led by five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (a Georgia commit), five-star defensive lineman David Stone (Oklahoma native) and five-star running back Jerrick Gibson (who played his two first years of high school football in Georgia).

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