Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY BRYAN DRISKELL One of the top players in Notre Dame's 2017 recruiting class traveled a unique path, one that made him a better player and prepared him for the rigors of playing for the Fighting Irish. Following his sophomore season at Gateway High School in Monro- eville, Pa., offensive lineman Rob- ert Hainsey received an unexpected phone call that would dramatically change his life. On the other end of the line was a coach from IMG Acad- emy in Bradenton, Fla., a boarding school that each year puts together some of the best talent in the country. The first line of its mission state- ment makes its objectives clear: "IMG Academy dedicates its high school boarding school program to preparing every student-athlete for the rigors of a college atmosphere." It was a conversation that caught Hainsey off-guard, but also one that certainly intrigued him. "They called me out of the blue the summer of 2015 and asked if I could talk," Hainsey recalled. "They asked if I was interested in coming to IMG. I talked to my parents — they were kind of shocked at first and I was, too. I wasn't sure what to think about it." After meeting, the Hainsey fam- ily decided to make the flight down to Florida to see what IMG had to offer. When they left to head south, there was a great deal of apprehen- sion about the trip and what might happen, at least for his parents. "I wanted to be able to experience his high school career with him, to go to his games, to have the Friday night experience with him," explained Ron Hainsey, Robert's father and a po- lice officer in Monroeville, Pa. "I was worried that wouldn't happen if he was down there. "I knew he could do it and survive, but it was more of was I cheating something out of his high school ca- reer that he doesn't see." Despite his parent's apprehension, by the time Robert and his family arrived on IMG's campus for their first visit, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. "I had my mind made up before the visit, because I just knew what it could do for me," the younger Hain- sey said. "They left it up to me. They let me decide, so I decided it would be best if I went." Hainsey was a dominant player at Gateway his first two seasons — earning Freshman All-America hon- ors from MaxPreps following the 2013 season — but he wanted to be challenged more. He knew the talent he would face at IMG on a daily basis would be the best way to improve his game. "I realized that the competition and the weight training as far as football would help me," Hainsey explained. "On the other side, I would be able to mature and grow, knowing how it would help me with my college transition in the future." Hainsey went into his IMG career with high hopes, and it proved even better than he anticipated. "It definitely exceeded expecta- tions," Hainsey stated emphatically. "After two years of it, I see how much I've grown as a person and as a football player. Everything went better than I expected. "I couldn't have asked for anything more from it." Hainsey finished his prep career rated as a four-star recruit and top- 150 prospect by all four major re- cruiting networks. ESPN ranked him as the nation's No. 31 overall player. His development can be attributed to having to match up against some of the nation's best defenders every day in practice, like Rivals five-star defensive end Josh Kaindoh and ESPN five-star end Robert Beal. His improvement can also be at- tributed to a grueling schedule that saw IMG travel more than 18,000 miles and play against opponents that went 101-34 in 2016. IMG played and beat a pair of state champs and a state runner up. Two opponents finished the season ranked in the MaxPreps top 15. Hainsey also credits the coaching he received, although it has come in many forms. He had two different line coaches at IMG Academy, and his op- portunities to participate in national camps gave him exposure to top line coaches from around the country. "It started with my first coach, Spencer Hodges, who I got to work with my first season," Hainsey ex- plained. "He knew exactly what he wanted and knew what he was talking about. He really started the whole thing. Derrick Elder coached IMG Academy Has Helped Robert Hainsey Develop On And Off The Field Rivals rates Hainsey as the nation's No. 11 offensive tackle and No. 108 overall player. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM