WATCH: The moment Tyler Merrill announced his Notre Dame commitment
On Jan. 30, Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley class of 2026 interior offensive lineman Tyler Merrill announced his commitment publicly during a live stream with On3.
Merrill, who is listed as the No. 81 overall player and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in America according to the On3 Industry Ranking, narrowed his recruitment down to Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State and Wisconsin Jan. 25 and announced his pick of the Fighting Irish five days later.
“It’s been a long journey that I’ve been blessed to have experienced, but I’ve recently found where I belong,” Merrill said during the stream. “I’m excited to announce that I’ll be committing to the University of Notre Dame.”
Why the Fighting Irish?
“At Notre Dame, it was the people who stood out to me,” Merrill said. “I want to surround myself with people who I know will make me better … They checked the boxes for me. It’s not too close to home, but it’s definitely worth it for the high education and winning football program.”
After Merrill made his commitment and discussed it with host Josh Newberg, On3’s Steve Wiltfong joined the stream to break down what the Irish are getting in the new pledge for Marcus Freeman and Co.
Watch a replay of the moment in the video below.
More on Merrill’s commitment
Jan. 25 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.
