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Dawson Merritt knows a thing or two about playing at the highest levels of football. That's because he is the son of NFL assistant coach Dave Merritt, who has three Super  Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs. “My dad kind of thought I was just kind of playing around with football because my freshman year, I wasn't very good,” Merritt said. “My sophomore year, I was a starter on varsity. That's when I'd say I got a lot better, but I still wasn't very good. And then as a junior, I obviously made a huge jump. When I made that jump, my dad really started to help me out. And just even the little things he would say, like how to take on a block, what to do when the tackle does this, what to do when a receiver does this. It's just all the little things that he knows has helped me.” During that breakthrough junior season at Blue Valley High School, Merritt finished with 83 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Nebraska's latest commitment in the 2025 class was in Lincoln for the first time as a future Husker. Dawson Merritt, the former Alabama edge

2025 Edge LB Dawson Merritt in Nebraska

HuskerOnline Football Recruiting

Edge LB Dawson Merritt discusses the first weekend in Lincoln as a Nebraska commitment

Matt Rhule and his staff didn't give up pursuing Dawson Merritt. The four-star Edge committed to Alabama in June, and the Huskers continued to

LB Dawson Merritt at Nebraska

Dawson Merritt commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?

The hard work and persistence have paid off for Matt Rhule and Nebraska with Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley On300 edge rusher Dawson Merritt.

Dawson Merritt 2025

Matt Rhule and Nebraska flip four-star Edge Dawson Merritt from Alabama

Nebraska originally lost out on a commitment from Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley four-star EDGE Dawson Merritt this June, as the Kansas City metro

Nebraska Recruits AFI

On3 Football Recruiting

Nebraska makes big leap in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings with latest commitment

After committing to Alabama on June 26, Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley four-star EDGE Dawson Merritt’s communication with Nebraska slowed down.

Recruiting Official VisitApril 27, 2024Lincoln, NebraskaFootball Photography

4-star EDGE Dawson Merritt flips to Nebraska from Alabama: ‘I want to be a part of building something’  

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School	Date	Visit Type
Nebraska	11/23/24	Unofficial
Alabama	9/28/24	Unofficial
Nebraska	9/7/24	Unofficial
Alabama	7/28/24	Unofficial
Alabama	6/7/24	Official

Dawson Merritt

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Dawson Merritt - Blue Valley - 2024 Senior Season Highlights

Dawson Meritt Junior Season Highlight

Soph. Full Szn Highlights (7 games)

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Merritt News

Edge LB Dawson Merritt discusses the first weekend in Lincoln as a Nebraska commitment

Dawson Merritt commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?

Matt Rhule and Nebraska flip four-star Edge Dawson Merritt from Alabama

Nebraska makes big leap in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings with latest commitment

4-star EDGE Dawson Merritt flips to Nebraska from Alabama: ‘I want to be a part of building something’

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