4-star QB Jake Merklinger earns Mississippi State offer

Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger has earned his first SEC offer from Mississippi State.

He is the No. 72 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

#AGTG WOW! Very Excited to say I have received my first SEC offer from Mississippi State University! #Hailstate @Coach_Leach @MSUCoachDrew pic.twitter.com/5r7nDKgdUM

— Jake Merklinger (@JakeMerklinger) May 3, 2022

On3 ranks him much highest in the industry, slotting him in as the No. 24 prospect in the 2024 On300 ranking and the second-ranked quarterback in the class.

Chandler (Ariz.) five-star quarterback and On3’s No. 1 recruit Dylan Raiola is the lone quarterback ahead of him.

“Jake Merklinger impressed us with his combination of precision passing, reactive playmaking and functional athleticism,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said. “The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder completed over 70 percent of his passes for 2,513 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in addition to 11 rushing scores as a sophomore at Savannah (Ga.) Cavalry Day School. Merklinger looks to be a natural athlete the the ability to make plays both inside and outside offensive structure. He’s also shown to be one of the better rushing threats among this group. Merklinger is a three-sport athlete, also playing basketball and baseball at Cavalry Day.”

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $82k. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.