Ausbon transferring to IMG Academy

The Baylor coaches are off to an incredible start to the 2017 recruiting class and two of the Bears' junior commitments made major announcements over the holiday break.

We reported the transfer of San Antonio (Texas) Reagan dual-threat quarterback and Baylor commit Kellen Mond to IMG Academy just last week, an update that sent a ripple effect of updates throughout the recruiting world.

Only a day later, Houston (Texas) St. Thomas wide receiver and Baylor commit Jhamon Ausbon announced that he will also transfer to IMG Academy for his senior season.

Ausbon has played in the private school ranks for the past three years and his connection to the private school league actually lead to an opportunity at IMG.

"We had a semi-finals game against Prestonwood this season and there was a coach from IMG Academy that used to work at Prestonwood," Ausbon said. "My coaches introduced me and we talked after the game. Things just went from there and we talked about the opportunity over the past month.

"My parents and I talked with the IMG coaches over the phone about everything, then we actually met with them in person to visit the campus. From there, it was a done deal. I just had to go through the enrollment process, submit my transcripts, and all of that."

The allure of IMG Academy made his decision easier, but the thought of moving to Florida was never a real option in Aubson's mind.

"At first, my thoughts were - would I actually leave Houston and could this really happen? It's hard to say no once you visit and see the opportunity there, but it's also easy to think 'I cannot leave Houston'.

"At the end of the day, it's an opportunity to work with coaches that have NFL and college football coaching experience. These are guys that played your position at the same levels too. The whole focus on preparing athletes for the next level was really my main thing. I'm going to be in college after next year and this experience will help me prepare to play on the next level."

Already rated a Rivals100 prospect, Ausbon remains driven to prove that private school talent can compete with anyone of the football field.

"Of course I'm excited to meet new people, but most of all, I have been in private school my whole life and people claim we don't have real football on that level," Ausbon said. "I want to prove that my abilities transfer to any level."

Before making his decision, Ausbon shared the opportunity with the Baylor coaches and sought out their opinion on the move.

"I actually called the coaches before making my final decision," Ausbon said. "I just wanted to address the recruiting side of things and make sure it didn't effect me with Baylor. Our relationship is great and the coaches were mostly just excited for me.

"Plus, it doesn't get better than getting an extra year of experience working with Kellen (Mond) there either. I would have gone to IMG regardless, but it worked out that we are both going."

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect remains solid in his commitment to Baylor, but does plan on taking some additional visits this off-season.

"There are a few schools that are still talking with me," Ausbon said. "I'm most likely attending junior days at Texas A&M, Florida, and Oklahoma later this month. I don't have anything setup, but those are a few of the schools I might visit."

Rated a four-star prospect, Ausbon is the No. 12 junior wide receiver, the No. 100 prospect in the latest Rivals250 national rankings, and the No. 12 prospect in the Rivals.com Postseason Top 100 for the 2017 recruiting class.