Has Nebraska Football Taken the Lead In 4-Star LB Dawson Merritt's Recruitment?

With early signing day just a little over a month away, the Huskers could be trending toward a big-time flip in four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt.

Caleb Sisk | Nov 1, 2024

Dawson Merritt on Nebraska visit /

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Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have started to trend for a long-term flip target. This recruit was on campus for the Colorado in early September.

That recruit is Dawson Merritt, who is currently committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Merritt is a four-star linebacker at Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, Kansas.

Reports have been circulating that the talented linebacker has been deeply considering the Cornhuskers. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule visited with him during the Huskers' recent bye week. Merritt was one of the many primary targets during the summer, and the Cornhuskers haven’t backed off of him despite his commitment to the SEC powerhouse.

Nebraska looks to be the favorite to land Merritt in the long run, with reports saying he has more of a chance to end up in Nebraska than Alabama. Merritt will be a target for the Cornhuskers until he signs his papers with his school of choice, likely during the Dec. 4-6 early signing period.

Merritt told HuskerMax after his September visit to Lincoln that he is close with current 2026 quarterback commit Dayton Raiola and five-star 2025 target Michael Terry III.

This leads me to believe that if Merritt were to back off his pledge to Alabama and take that next step with Nebraska, it would up the Huskers' chances with Terry.

Merritt also had this interaction with Husker great Prince Amukamara, who told the talented recruit that "red look better on you than crimson!"

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— Dawson Merritt (@dawsonxmerritt) November 1, 2024

Nebraska is hopeful for Merritt to return to campus with the opportunity to make another huge impact on him. This seems to be a race to the finish line with Nebraska taking the lead for the first time in a long time.