Chase Davis to Help Build IMG Academy Wrestling from the Ground Up

Bradenton F.L. — Chase Davis is taking a major step in his development after committing to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a move that comes after IMG announced the start of its wrestling program this spring. The North Carolina youth standout has built a strong national resume through years of competition and training, and he said the chance to join a program from the ground up was a big part of the appeal. “I’ve been trying to find the best wrestling for me,” Davis said. “And I got this perfect opportunity of coming down to Florida and getting to work with highly good coaches and just helping me in wrestling.”

Davis announced the commitment on Instagram, and the response from coaches, supporters, and people around his wrestling circle has been overwhelmingly positive. The opportunity came together through Neutral Zone connections, where his family had conversations with IMG coach Enoch Francois. Francois eventually reached out about Davis joining the program and becoming one of the early pieces of IMG’s new wrestling culture. “He eventually reached out to me about would I like to join the program of IMG Wrestling and become one of the OGs,” Davis said. That chance to be part of something from the beginning was important to him. “I feel like the programs that become from the ground up are the best because it’s like trial and error,” he said. “And I want to be like a key part of that. As I said, like, I want to be like one of the OGs, like one of the best helpers, and I just, I want to be the best wrestler I could be.”

One of the biggest reasons Davis felt confident about the move was the coaching staff. He spoke highly of Enoch Francois and Kevin Jack, saying they are the kind of coaches who want the best for him and can help him keep growing. “I feel like they’re all amazing coaches,” Davis said. “They most definitely want the best for me. It’s going to be the way better outcome for me. And they’re all the best coaches that I could probably ask for, honestly.” With IMG building its wrestling program from the ground up this spring, Davis sees a chance to be part of something with real long-term potential.

His path in North Carolina prepared him well for this next step. Davis has spent years competing on the national scene and developing through club wrestling, including time with Darkhorse Wrestling Club in Charlotte and C2X Wrestling Club in South Carolina. He also trains frequently with Joe Kemmerer in Virginia, an experience he says has had a major impact on both his wrestling and his mindset. “I feel like Coach Kemmerer has most definitely made me mentally stronger, made me learn more moves, made me stronger in general,” Davis said. “I’ve spent weeks with him before, and every time I come back, I feel like I’ve made myself better more and more. And I’ve been with him for multiple years now, and he’s been like basically family to me, in my opinion.”

Davis was quick to credit everyone who helped him along the way. “I want to thank every coach that I’ve had because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” he said. “I wouldn’t be who I am right now. So I want to thank everybody that’s supported me and helped me just become the best person I could be.” That gratitude is part of what makes his move stand out: he’s not leaving North Carolina behind so much as building on what it gave him.

What makes IMG especially attractive to Davis is the expectation of hard work and the chance to be around different styles of coaching and competition every day. “I’m expecting nothing but hard work and high expectations,” he said. He also likes the fact that IMG will give him the opportunity to wrestle against athletes from different states and learn from a staff with multiple voices and strengths. “Probably the competition,” he said when asked what excites him most. “Seeing what different state wrestling is like. And I’m really excited to engage with different coaches and see different sides of the perspective because there’s five different coaches and they’re all amazing. They all have their strengths, and they all combine each other to make a perfect wrestling team.”

Davis said he doesn’t think he has outgrown North Carolina wrestling so much as he has adapted and is ready to explore a different environment. “I don’t think outgrown is the word,” he said. “I feel like I’ve adapted to it and I need to explore different areas of wrestling.” That mindset fits a wrestler who is focused on growth, not comfort. IMG, with its new program and demanding environment, offers that next level of challenge.

He’s also shown maturity when it comes to handling setbacks and pressure. Davis said he tries to learn from losses instead of dwelling on them. “When I lose, it’s like you have to try to learn from it,” he said. “I can’t really get upset about it because right now I’m young.” He also acknowledged the pressure young athletes can feel and said that negative thinking only makes things worse. “You also can’t think negative about yourself because that’ll just lead to even worse things happening,” he said. For Davis, the mental side of wrestling is just as important as the physical side.

That mental growth has been helped by his work with Joe Kemmerer in Virginia, where he has trained freestyle and sharpened his overall game. Davis said he doesn’t get to a lot of freestyle tournaments, but he practices it regularly and has gone to events like Northeast Regionals. He knows the style has different demands, and he appreciates being challenged in a different way. “I mean, I don’t really do more freestyle, but I really love freestyle,” he said. “I go up to Virginia and stuff for freestyle.” That combination of folkstyle focus and freestyle development has helped him become a more complete wrestler.

Davis is already looking ahead to bigger goals. Fargo, World tournaments, and eventually world team opportunities are all part of his vision. “I’m trying to go to Fargo and win, or at least place,” he said. “Go to some of the Worlds and do good there. I just need to get to these bigger tournaments and get my name out there more and more.” IMG gives him a platform to chase those goals while training in a system built to develop high-level athletes.

He is also planning to keep balancing wrestling with jiu-jitsu where possible, noting that IMG will allow him to continue some of that cross-training. Beyond that, he is excited for the everyday experience of living in the dorms and building new relationships. “The dorms is going to be one of the key things where I can most definitely make new friends and build new relationships with different types of people,” Davis said. “Not just people of wrestling, because we’ll all have the same mindset of sports and just being focused fully.”

For Davis, the move to IMG Academy is the next step in a journey built on hard work, strong coaching, and a willingness to embrace change. With IMG’s wrestling program now underway this spring, he is stepping into a setting designed for growth from day one. He plans to be on campus in mid-July for camps, then move into the dorms before school starts. For a young wrestler who wants to keep climbing, it’s the kind of opportunity that can shape the next stage of his career.