Top-100 overall offensive line recruit Tyler Merrill commits to Notre Dame football
Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley class of 2026 interior offensive lineman Tyler Merrill announced his commitment to Notre Dame football during a live stream with On3 Thursday afternoon.
Merrill, who stands at a reported 6-5, 330 pounds, visited Notre Dame for the staff’s big junior day recruiting event Jan. 25. Near the end of his visit, the four-star prospect informed Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman of his decision to commit.
“To me, it was about the people,” Merrill told Blue & Gold about his decision to commit. “The people there are a perfect fit for me to be successful at the next level.”
This is a big get for the Irish, as Merrill ranks as the nation’s No. 82 overall player and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in America according to the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking and also holds offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M and others.
“I feel like I can be myself around people that want the best out of me,” Merrill told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “I think everyone in that program exemplifies that frame of mind of being a kind person, being humble, being hungry, obviously striving for the best but still maintaining that demeanor Coach Freeman had throughout that national title run and success on the field.”
Last Saturday marked Merrill’s fifth visit to South Bend. He made it to campus twice in 2023 and made it for a spring practice and late July visit a year ago. While Blue & Gold logged a prediction for Merrill to pick the Irish last August, this will still be considered a mild upset, considering he’s a Pennsylvania kid who visited Penn State a recorded 10 times.
Merrill thinks the world of the Fighting Irish coaching staff.
“I can’t say enough good things about them,” he previously told Blue & Gold following a campus visit. “It just felt really welcoming. It didn’t feel like a place where I had to worry about fitting in or meeting anyone’s expectations. So, it was almost as I clicked, which was really nice.”
“Throughout the year, on every visit, they made sure just to let me know, ‘Hey, you’re still our top guy. We still love you. We’re not going to bug you every week and call you.
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“But they called me before games. They called me before the national championship, which was awesome. They did all the little things to let me know I’m still a priority for them.”
Merrill is Notre Dame’s third offensive line commitment of the 2026 class, joining Davison (Mich.) High’s Ben Nichols and Allegan (Mich.) High’s Sullivan Garvin. All three of these prospects project as interior players for the Irish. He becomes Notre Dame’s seventh commitment in total and is now the highest-ranked player in ND’s class per the On3 Industry Ranking.
On3’s own rankings of Merrill are similar to the industry ranking, listing him as the No. 73 prospect and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the land.
“He is larger than life — that kid, man,” Cumberland Valley head coach Josh Oswalt previously told Blue & Gold. “He’s literally, physically larger than life. He’s an unbelievable presence. Socially, he is not a mute. He is a jovial, big kid who loves to work hard but also loves to joke around. But when he gets on the field, he’ll rip your face off.”
Merrill was named to the 2024 PAFootballnews.com Coaches Select Class 6A All-State first-team offense and PennLive’s 2024 All-Star High School Football Team.
