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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

Linebacker

Matt Rhule's third fall camp at Nebraska is right around the corner. The HuskerOnline team dives into what to expect from the Huskers with our

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LB Dawson Merritt on OV to Nebraska

HuskerOnline Football Recruiting

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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

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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

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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

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The three-day Early Signing Period beginning on Dec. 4 is less than three weeks away and things are getting very exciting on the recruiting trail. A

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It is three weeks from when the early signing period (Dec. 4-6) begins and schools are working to keep their commitments, flip others and land their

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Alabama 4-star EDGE commit Dawson Merritt will return to Nebraska

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Matt Rhule

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The recruiting early signing period (Dec. 4-6) is just 22 days away and programs are making their final push to close strong. There will be a lot of

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Nebraska Fall Camp Preview for 2025: Linebackers

Steven Sipple: With its spring season in the books, Nebraska forges ahead with a properly limited amount of hyperbole

Light on collegiate experience, Terry Bradden takes on heavy lifting as Nebraska's new defensive line coach

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