3 Clemson commitments shine for IMG Academy on ESPN

CLEMSON — Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy is very good at football. Clemson commitments Jihaad Campbell, Daylen Everette, and Keon Sabb are a big reason why.

On Sunday, IMG and their loaded roster headed up to Canton, Ohio, to take on Columbus (Ohio) Bishop Sycamore High and cruised to a 58-0 victory. This was a game that was never close as the Ascenders recorded their second win of the season.

ClemsonSports.com sat down and scouted the game of the future Tigers. Each appears to be the real deal as their senior season is off and running.

IMG’s Jihaad Campbell has high ceiling

When paying attention to IMG Academy, it does not take long to notice No. 11 on the edge.

Playing to the weak side in the defensive scheme, Campbell is long, lean and explosive. The high four-star recruit recorded a sack in the first quarter on a twist stunt that showed off some impressive position acceleration.

To play defensive end in Clemson’s four-man front, Campbell will need to add some weight. However, the potential is tantalizing for this New Jersey native. This blue-chipper could turn into a dynamite edge rusher.

Daylen Everette, Keon Sabb look the part

Bishop Sycamore had a limited passing game, but both Daylen Everette and Keon Sabb look like legitimate top-100 talents.

Playing strong safety, Sabb recorded a pair of pass breakups but achieved both in different ways. The rangy defensive back flashed instincts and feel by breaking on a short out breaking route in the first quarter. On the last defensive possession of the game, Sabb made a play on the ball as a deep safety. The coverage skills are an added bonus for the big safety with hard-hitting ability.

Five-star cornerback Everette did not get much work, but he looks the part. The defensive back has length and was comfortable playing both press-man and off-zone coverage for the Ascenders. Everette should fit in well with defensive coordinator Brent Venables due to his ability to excel in different coverage schemes.

The Clemson secondary will be getting help sooner rather than later.

Clemson freshman Will Shipley gets on-air buzz

Due to the blowout nature of the game, the broadcast had to find some other topics. One of them was touching on what true freshman Will Shipley could provide the Clemson offense in 2021.

ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill believes the blue-chip tailback could be a special talent.

“Will Shipley, I think, has the opportunity to be a special football player. He reminds me of a bigger version of Christian McCaffrey,” said Luginbill. “Great ball skills, great hands, returns punts and kicks. He’s one of those backs that can be a power back when you need him but he can also make you miss — he can extend plays.

“As I look at Will Shipley — and I know he’s going to work in there, probably rotate with the twos, some with the ones, returning punts and kicks. I think over the course of his freshman season, he will end up being their go-to feature back. He’s so far ahead in the passing game at this stage in his career in college than Travis Etienne was at that stage when it comes to being a receiver.”

High praise for a guy that has had a great fall camp at Clemson.

ESPN got duped

For the high school games that ESPN airs, usually, the contests include matchups with legitimate high school football powerhouses with a handful of FBS talent. IMG Academy has that in droves. Bishop Sycamore does not.

The online charter school told ESPN that the program had legitimate FBS college football prospects but that was not the case. According to USA Today, the school listed players in the press release that are not even enrolled at the institution.

This is what happens when ESPN gets duped into airing a high school football game between the most talented team in the country and an online charter school nobody has heard of, went 0-6 last year, and lied about its roster to get on TV. pic.twitter.com/QUwM8BQKiY

— Ben Koo (@bkoo) August 29, 2021

As we all probably could have expected, this one turned into blowout city very quickly.