IMG Academy is a factory for college football prospects, and its 40-game win streak makes it clear that the Ascenders (3-0) are benefiting from their pool of talent on the field this season.

On Friday night, however, they may very well meet their match.

Absurd as it sounds for a team with 25 different juniors and seniors who are deemed at least three-star recruits, IMG Academy hardly has an edge over the Mater Dei Monarchs, who will host a Friday showdown at Santa Ana Stadium in California. The Monarchs, who are defending national champions, ranked second on MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 list and No. 3 in the nation, have 21 of their own three-, four- and five-star recruits just in their junior and senior class, making their anticipated battle with IMG perhaps the country's largest showcase of top college prospects of 2018.

Led by dual-threat quarterback and USC commit Bryce Young, Mater Dei has cruised to a 3-1 start this year, and the Monarchs' only loss was actually a 42-14 win over Bishop Amat -- a victory forfeited after the team self-reported using an ineligible player, whose participation may have been overlooked, per MaxPreps, amid "upwards of 20 players" transferring into the program before the season. Mater Dei's last outing was a 56-0 rout of St. Mary's, in which Young completed every one of his passes and fed nationally heralded receiving prospect Bru McCoy for 186 yards.

IMG, meanwhile, is undefeated on the year after topping Liberty (Nevada) as part of the Polynesian Football Classic on Sept. 7. Through three games, the Ascenders have outscored opponents 126-14, and they'll enter their showdown with Mater Dei on extra days' rest since their game against sixth-ranked St. John's (Washington, D.C.) was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

Here's a look at some of the top college football prospects set to be in action during Friday night's meeting between No. 2 Mater Dei and No. 5 IMG Academy, plus information on how to tune in:

Notable recruits

  • QB BRYCE YOUNG (MD) -- USC commit
  • RB TREY SANDERS (IMG) -- interest from Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia
  • RB NOAH CAIN (IMG) -- Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State
  • WR BRU MCCOY (MD) -- Texas, Washington, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC
  • OT EVAN NEAL (IMG) -- interest from Alabama, Florida State, Miami
  • DE NOLAN SMITH (IMG) -- Georgia commit
  • OLB JALEEL MCRAE (IMG) -- Florida State commit
  • CB ELIAS RICKS (MD) -- Ohio State, USC

How to watch

Date: Friday, Sept. 21
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Santa Ana Stadium (Santa Ana, California)

Mater Dei vs. IMG Academy will be televised locally on Prime Ticket and on Fox Sports Florida. It will also be streamed live on the Fox Sports Go app.