IMG Academy, which has long been known for producing elite talent, now finds itself in legal chaos after accepting tuition fees linked to questionable sources. This scandal is now sending shockwaves through the entire sports world, as Florida’s prep school reputation is under major threat.

IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, is facing serious repercussions for accepting tuition fees from sources linked to the Mexican drug cartel. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on February 12 that the academy repeatedly transacted with two students for over five years. That resulted in 89 violations of counter-narcotics sanctions. As a result, the academy will be fined $1.72 million.

Those transactions happened between 2018 and 2022 through third-party individuals in Mexico for student tuition payments. Now, their tuition fees range from $97,867 to $102,235 per year. OFAC made it clear that the academy failed to screen those transactions properly; that’s where the problem began.

The scandal is especially jarring given IMG’s sterling reputation for developing elite talent. The academy that produced stars like Bo Scarborough and Grant Delpit is now entangled in a controversy that threatens to overshadow its on-field achievements.

The academy explained that it lacked a program to screen for federal sanctions between 2018 and 2022, which is how the payments from the two students’ families went unrecognized. However, they still showed proper cooperation during the investigation.

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“Upon becoming aware of their status, we disclosed the matter to OFAC and fully cooperated with its investigation,” IMG Academy said in its statement. “Since that isolated incident, extensive measures have been taken by IMG Academy to implement a comprehensive sanctions compliance program.”

With growing NIL pain, the money pressure sits on high school sports, too. Something of this sort happened with Southern California, too, when their “Money Man,” Brett Steigh, admitted on a YouTube show that he pays the families up to $50,000 plus expenses to attract football players. Later on, the CIF Southern Section ruled 19 players at Bishop Montgomery High School for illegal recruiting. However, even with that chaos, IMG Academy is one of the best high schools in producing NFL talent.

IMG Academy’s NFL pipeline

The $1.72 million fine put a significant stain on a program that prides itself on its unparalleled NFL pipeline. This is the same academy that just celebrated its fifth consecutive year producing a first-round pick, with names like JC Latham and J.J. McCarthy continuing its legacy. The question now is whether this off-field scandal will tarnish the on-field factory.

Even last season, four former IMG Academy students were selected in the 2025 NFL draft: offensive guard Tyler Booker, linebacker Jihaad Campbell, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, and defensive lineman Warren Brinson. They first started their NFL draft pipeline back in 2018, and since then, 25 former IMG football players have been drafted at the pro level, with seven alumni in a single draft class.

In the 2024-25 academic year, IMG Academy reported 281 student-athletes who were committed to play at Division I, II, III, JUCO, and NAIA, and many even headed to the Ivy League. They even take extra care for their students as they are partnered with organizations like Revolution Prep to give student-athletes extra guidance on balancing recruitment and competition.

Apart from that, their boarding school attracted top talent and prepared them for college-level studies. That shows in their performance too, as their basketball team stands at 17-9, recorded in the 2025-2026 season, while the football team went 9-0 this past fall. So, with so much at stake, this legal trouble is just adding a major reputation threat to them.