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IMG Academy
On 6/23/2021, IMG Academy announced that former NFL player and coach Thomas “Pepper” Johnson was named Head Coach of its National Team.
“We’re excited to welcome Pepper into the Head Coach role after witnessing the positive impact he has had on the development of our student-athletes in his role as Defensive Coordinator,” remarked IMG Academy Athletic Director Scott Dean. “Pepper brings more than 30 years of collegiate and NFL playing and coaching experience, having personally guided the careers of more than a dozen Pro Bowl athletes, and we’re looking forward to watching him guide our National Team into the 2021 season.”
A standout high school player, Johnson committed to The Ohio State University where he was a four-year letterman, two-time All Big Ten, two-time Captain and named to the All American team his senior year. He entered the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Following his impressive college career, Johnson was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round and would go on to play 13 seasons in the NFL, including seven years with the Giants, winning two Super Bowl Championships under legendary Head Coach Bill Parcells and Defensive Coordinator Bill Belichick. He has coached professionally for 20 seasons including 14 seasons – and three Super Bowl championships – with the New England Patriots. He has also had coaching stints with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.
“IMG Academy has built an incredible program that has attracted some of the most talented high school players in the country,” said Pepper Johnson. “I’m looking forward to moving into the Head Coach position where I can play an even greater role in helping shape their futures by imparting what I’ve learned in my decades as both player and coach at the highest levels of the game.”
Varsity Football launched at IMG Academy in 2013 and has emerged as a perennial national power, finishing in the national top-10 as ranked by Max Preps and USA Today for the past six seasons. The National Team finished the 2020 season in Max Preps’, USA Today’s, and High School Football America’s No. 1 spot. In its history, IMG Academy has placed more than 140 football student-athletes into Division 1 programs. In Spring 2021, the program broke the high school record for the number of alumni selected in the NFL Draft with seven.
