Maurice McFarlane '21 Recruiting Profile

One of the biggest challenges I've encountered is my journey to IMG Academy and the lessons I've learned from my time there. My path to IMG started my junior year at American Heritage High in Delray, FL. I played football there and my dream was to get accepted into a bigger more prestigious school like IMG, but I had a setback. Not the typical injury setback you see from student-athletes. My grades at American Heritage weren’t great. I earned B's and C's and my GPA of 2.6 was too low to join IMG. My master plan needed to be delayed temporarily because of my grades. I knew I wanted to attend IMG and I knew what I needed to do to get there. I strongly believe if you put your mind to something you can do anything because I’m evidence of that. So I put my mind to my grades. I got tutors to help me in reading and math. Seven days a week, I remained focused and studied every subject in order to bring up my grades. I worked through my learning disability and found special tutors. I had a dream and nothing was getting in my way. After a year of tutoring, I took an academic entry test for IMG. Within 2 weeks I received my acceptance letter. When I arrived on IMG’s campus for the first time I knew it was going to be difficult and I would need to study harder than the average person. Plus I needed game film in order to show my football skills to college coaches. Some may look down on the underdog but I've learned being the underdog gets you noticed more. By flying under the radar, it’s easier to get noticed when you perform to your capabilities. I enjoy surprising people. I enjoy proving doubters wrong. In certain periods throughout high school, I've laughed, cried, and stopped and stared, but I've never given up. I grew up over the past two years and I’ve developed a closer relationship with God in my journey. I’ve improved my relationships and communication skills. I’ve learned the value of sportsmanship and the determination I need to better myself and overcome graduating high school and applying to college. I will be the first male in my family to graduate college. My goal is to break a generational curse and build a generation of wealth. With hard work and dedication, I got accepted to one of the best high schools in the world. It was a blessing to come to a school like IMG. You may hear people talk and dream about being surrounded by like-minded people. I’m blessed to constantly be around competitive student-athletes motivated by their desire to push themselves and play at the next level. I never thought I would have been given the chance to embrace this experience. I learned from my struggles and successes academically and learned not to take anything for granted. Everything is earned.