Since being named to Youth1's Elite101 Rankings last fall, Oklahoma Quarterback Luke Carney has been quite busy honing his craft. Most importantly, he's made some major changes to his life.
"I am a completely different player, but the most noticeable difference is my body. Even though I have grown, I have been able to keep my quickness. I have been doing footwork drills periodically with college DBs. I have been fortunate to throw this summer with several college receivers from major programs to better understand the speed of the game," Carney told Youth1.com
"Overall, I am stronger, faster, and smarter than I was this time last year," Carney added.
During his youth football career, Carney has become one of the most decorated youth athletes we've covered. He's participated in NextGen's The Show and FBU's Top Gun Showcase, while also being named to Youth1's Next Up Watchlist as a 7th grader. We've watched Luke grow right before our eyes here at Youth1, as we've been covering him since the 5th grade.
Although he's already had a very successful youth career, Carney has decided to take a year to further develop as he prepares for high school.
Not only has Carney officially reclassified to the 2025 class, he's decided to take his talents to the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida.
"I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give myself a year to develop as a player and further prepare myself for high school," Carney said.
"IMG Academy will help me grow as an individual because of the college-like atmosphere. I was impressed with the facilities, academics, and daily routine on my visit. Also, IMG is the premier football program in the nation. Being around other athletes who are striving for excellence every day should elevate my game to another level," he added.
IMG Academy is a known football powerhouse. A place where athletes like Luke Carney go to get top-notch coaching as they look to take their game to the highest level.
Carney is extremely excited about the training and coaching he's going to receive over the next few years.
"I’m excited to start practicing and training multiple hours a day. As an 8th grader playing high school varsity football, I think there is something for me to prove. I want to help our team prepare and win games in whatever way the coaches feel like I can contribute," Carney said.
"They are very experienced coaches and know what they’re talking about. I think they will help me grow tremendously. During my visit, Coach Brey and Coach Gould helped me understand what life would be like as a student-athlete at IMG as well as the expectations they had for the quarterbacks," he added.
IMG Academy is absolutely stacked at the QB spot for now and the foreseeable with Michigan commit QB J.J. McCarthy, 2022 QB Chad Mascoe, 2023 QB Joe Borchers, rising 2025 star QB Ryan Downes, and now Luke Carney all in the fold.
Luke is beyond excited to continue his football career at IMG Academy. It will be a joy to see where his career goes from here.
"It feels great and I want to make the most of it. I can’t wait to get on campus."
Check out Luke's Highlights below.
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Ryan Oliver @RyanBOliver 2 years ago