Missouri offers 2024 On3 top-15 QB Jake Merklinger
Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger received an offer from Missouri on Sunday night. He announced the news on social media.
Merklinger is the No. 79 overall prospect and No. 9 quarterback in the 2024 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 14 player in Georgia.
On3 rates Merklinger higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 15 overall prospect, No. 2 quarterback and No. 1 player in Georgia.
The 6-foot-2.5, 195 pound prospect has received 21 offers. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, it is a close race for his commitment. Florida is leading for Merklinger’s commitment at 31.8%, while Michigan State isn’t far behind at 27.8%. Tennessee has the third-best chance for his pledge at 16.1%.
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RPM was released to the public in December. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college.
It factors in machine learning, social sentiment, visits and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.
On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons shared insight on Merklinger’s recruitment in June.
“It’s extremely early for Jake, as he’s been out to camps to earn offers this month,” Simmons said. “I’d expect he will get a better feel as we get into July. But Michigan State is a school high on his radar, and I think he’s intrigued by some SEC offers like Auburn. But it’s still too early to really handicap where things stand.”
Regarding the Tigers, Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class currently contains no commitments. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ 2023 class contains 11 commitments and ranks No. 44 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings, as well as No. 13 in the SEC.
Merklinger has an On3 NIL Valuation of $71K. 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.
Jake Merklinger On3 Scouting Summary
The following is the On3 Scouting Summary for Jake Merklinger:
“Accurate, mobile passer with a strong feel for the game early on in his high school career. Among the more accurate top quarterbacks in the 2024 cycle, completing over 70 percent of his passes as a sophomore. Comfortable navigating the pocket. Sees the field well, finding open receivers while under pressure. Shows the ability to quickly react and escape from pass rushers.
“Functional mobility both in and out of the pocket is among the best among top 2024 quarterbacks at this juncture. Can pick up chunks of yards with his legs on designed runs and scrambles. Has shown a good arm to this point, but can continue improving his velocity as he gets stronger, in addition to tightening his release. A multi-sport athlete who also plays basketball and lacrosse.”