Game On: Why IMG’s Acquisition of SportsRecruits Makes the Mission of Sendcoach Even More Clear

First off, congratulations to the teams at SportsRecruits on their acquisition by IMG Academy and their combination with NCSA. As a founder, I know these outcomes don’t come easy, and it’s always worth celebrating the journey.

That said, this is also a major moment for Sendcoach.

We’ve always believed we occupy a unique and essential space in the college recruitment ecosystem—one powered by parents, student-athletes, and their clubs. At its core, Sendcoach functions like a CRM for outreach, built specifically for those doing the real work of advocating for student-athletes.

From what we understand:

• NCSA operates as a full-service agency, pairing families with advisors to manage their recruitment.
• SportsRecruits serves as more of a marketplace—like LinkedIn for athletes—where outreach is only possible if a college coach signs up for the platform. That creates friction and feels less like authentic, direct outreach.

And now, with both platforms under the IMG umbrella, there’s a larger concern: IMG is not just a neutral party—they are also a club. This means that when clubs and schools partner with SportsRecruits or NCSA, they are effectively handing over the marketing and data of their athletes to a competitor.

That data could be used to recruit athletes directly to IMG Academy in Bradenton—or worse, to compete with local program using your own information.

So yes, we applaud the deal as fellow entrepreneurs.

But more importantly, game on.

This acquisition makes our role at Sendcoach more important than ever. We’re here to support the people who matter most—families, student-athletes, and the clubs and schools that support them.

Let’s get back to work.

- Ben