Tarquin Schwalger’s Next Step at IMG Academy

Tarquin Schwalger’s football path did not begin the way most American recruiting stories do.

He was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, in a family shaped by sport, culture and competition. He is a New Zealander of Samoan and German descent, and he grew up in a tight-knit home with his parents and older sister.

Sport was always around him. The sport just was not always football.

A Family Built Around Sport

Swimming was Tarquin’s first sport. For a long time, it was the main one.

His older sister was a competitive swimmer, and his parents were both competitive athletes as well. His mother played basketball, volleyball and netball. His father played rugby, competed in athletics, was a former Samoa and New Zealand volleyball player and also represented Samoa in high jump.

That kind of household leaves a mark.

Tarquin also played volleyball and did well with it, but basketball eventually became the sport that moved fastest for him.

A Late Start, Then a Fast Rise

Basketball came into Tarquin’s life later than it does for many young players.

He started learning the game shortly before turning 13. From there, things moved quickly. He made representative teams at the under-13, under-15, under-16 and under-18 levels.

Two years after picking up basketball, he was selected for the New Zealand under-15 national team. That group finished second in the Oceania qualifier.

For a young athlete from New Zealand, basketball was opening doors.

Then football found him.

The Moment Football Entered the Picture

Tarquin did not grow up around American football the way many players in the United States do.

In New Zealand, sports like rugby, rugby league, netball and basketball are far more familiar. American football was not something he fully understood at first.

That changed at an under-16 basketball tournament in 2024.

Coach Will Bryce, the head of the NFL Academy Asia-Pacific, had just finished running a combine outside the venue. He came inside, watched basketball and noticed Tarquin running up and down the court.

That moment changed the direction of Tarquin’s athletic path.

Learning the Game

The NFL Academy gave Tarquin an opportunity and a pathway into a sport he was still learning.

He joined the Academy in January 2025. That was his first real introduction to American football.

The learning curve was real. He had to understand the playbook, the positions, the training rhythm and what it takes to become a tight end. But his background helped him. Swimming had taught him discipline. Basketball had developed his movement and competitiveness. His family had shown him what serious athletes look like.

Tarquin did not take the opportunity lightly.

Over 18 months, he committed to the work and kept developing.

The Next Step at IMG Academy

Now Tarquin has taken another step.

He is moving to IMG Academy for his junior year, where he will continue developing and finally get the chance to play in one of the strongest football environments in the country.

For Kid From The Rock, that is the kind of journey worth paying attention to.

Tarquin’s story is not just about changing schools. It is about being willing to learn a new sport, trust a new path and keep working when the opportunity is still forming.

Not every athlete’s road starts in the obvious place.

Sometimes it starts in a pool. Sometimes it moves through a basketball court. Sometimes it takes an academy, a coach with the right eye and a family willing to support the next step.

The destination matters.

But so does being ready when the door opens.