Capehart has been called the best defensive lineman to play at IMG

DeMonte Capehart‍ - 6-5, 290-pounds, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL

Head Coach: Jeff Calabrese

IMG Academy (Fla.)

Head Coach: Kevin Wright

Overview: Will play in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 2, 2020 in Orlando, Fla. … rated as a five-star defensive tackle according to most organizations … made great improvement during his senior year, jumping 29 spots in final Rivals.com ranking at end of the year … played three years at Hartsville High School in South Carolina before going to IMG Academy for the 2019 season … participated in the 2019 Opening in Frisco, Texas, in the summer of 2019. 

Rankings: Ranked as the No. 27 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which also listed him as the second-best defensive tackle and second-best player from the state of South Carolina … listed as No. 35 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, the second-best defensive tackle and the sixth-best player in the state… ranked as No. 35 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, the third-best defensive tackle and the fifth-best player in the state… ranked as No. 52 player in the nation overall, the second-best defensive tackle and second-best player of South Carolina origin by PrepStar … listed as the second-best player from South Carolina by the Charlotte Observer … named first-team postseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.

In High School: Played the 2019 season for Kevin Wright at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. … started all 10 games for IMG Academy and had 44 total tackles, including 35 first hits … led the team with 16 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead in sacks with 5.5 … helped IMG to a 9-1 record and No. 9 national ranking from USA Today … had nine tackles, including four tackles for loss, against Venice in his first game at IMG … had seven tackles, including four tackles for loss and two sacks against Life Christian later in the season … had at least one tackle for loss in eight of the 10 games … As a junior at Hartsville, he helped Jeff Calabrese’s team to a 12-1 record, posting 40 tackles, 19 of which were tackles for loss, and seven sacks … also played 22 basketball games over two years for Hartsville.

Personal: Committed to Clemson on June 5, 2018 … recruited to Clemson by Todd Bates and Robbie Caldwell … wore No. 19 in high school … name pronounced “duh-MON-tay” … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2020.

Lowell Likes:

As the theme seems to be in this class, Capehart is an uber-athletic defensive tackle who might be able to move to the outside and play some defensive end in a pinch. He has great burst and quickness off the line, and shows the ability to get into the backfield and disrupt against both the run and the pass. It’s tough to find a comparison for him, but he feels almost like a larger Grady Jarrett.