For the second straight day, IMG Academy in Bradenton has picked up a local player.
Lakewood junior athlete Saivion Smith has transferred to IMG just a few months after transferring to Lakewood from Boca Ciega. On Monday, Admiral Farragut linebacker Isadore Wood transferred to IMG.
Amp Smith, Saivion’s father, said the move was made for academic reasons.
"Saivion is doing okay, but he's not where we'd like him to be academically," Amp Smith said. "Kids in the class of 2016 now need a 2.3 GPA. We thought this was the best move to get him where he needs to be. IMG has smaller classes with college professors teaching classes. It seemed like a great fit."
Smith, 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, is ranked 42nd in the Tampa Bay Times' HomeTeam 100. He started gaining interest from Division I schools in the spring. He has offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Iowa State and Kentucky. As a sophomore at Boca Ciega, Smith played quarterback, running back, receiver and defensive back for the Pirates. He was going to play mostly defensive back with the Spartans.
This is the second Lakewood player to transfer this summer. Tyrell Hubbard-Smith transferred to Gibbs.