Will Brunson’s next stop is one of the biggest names in prep basketball.
The 2028 four-star wing and small forward, who holds a Syracuse basketball offer, is transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., according to national analyst Sam Kayser. The 6-foot-6 Brunson is headed to a program that has long been one of the country’s top independent basketball powers.
Syracuse has already been active with Brunson in the 2028 cycle. Not long ago, Gerry McNamara and his staff re-offered him a scholarship, and the Orange first extended an offer under then-head coach Adrian Autry in June of 2025. Brunson also took an unofficial visit to Syracuse last December.
His offer list is a long one. Per his Instagram page, Brunson’s scholarship sheet includes Syracuse along with Auburn, Fairfield, Rider, Rutgers, La Salle, Seton Hall, Mississippi State, TCU, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, N.C.
State, Villanova, Ole Miss, Louisville, Providence, Kansas, Indiana and Georgia Tech. A report from Kayser also noted that the 6-foot-6 wing holds offers from Indiana, Louisville, Auburn, Providence, Syracuse, Villanova, Kansas and many others, and that he is ranked No. 39 overall in the class.
Brunson arrives at IMG after playing at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, N.J. During the 2025-26 season, he put up 22.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for Rutgers Prep and earned a spot on the MaxPreps sophomore All-America second team.
He is also spending this spring and summer playing up a level for the 17U team of the New York City-based Renaissance Hoops in Nike’s EYBL league. Through that action, Brunson is averaging 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from 3-point range and 66.7 percent at the line.
IMG’s résumé gives Brunson a familiar runway. Up until this past season, the Ascenders were part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic, and in 2025-26 they finished 20-9 overall, according to MaxPreps.
There’s also a Syracuse connection at IMG. In recent years, former Orange center Jesse Edwards, former power forward Donnie Freeman and Sadiq White Jr. have all come through the program, with White now a rising sophomore power forward on McNamara’s current roster.
With two live periods in grassroots basketball coming later this month, Syracuse is expected to be in the mix as Brunson continues his EYBL run with the NY Rens.
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