Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543321
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 65 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER W hen Chad Bowden left Notre Dame to become Southern Cal's new gen- eral manager at the end of January 2025, there was much made on the interwebs about how it would impact the Irish 2026 recruiting class. And on paper, it was an improvement for Notre Dame. The Irish signed the Nos. 10, 11 and 12 classes from the 2023-25 recruiting cycles, respectively. Granted, Bowden should be com- mended for being a key part in building the roster that made the national title game, and he helped Notre Dame land the likes of CJ Carr, Drayk Bowen, Leon- ard Moore, Christian Gray and others. There's no arguing that what Notre Dame did in the 2026 class and with the transfer portal blows past what it had done in recent years. Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley offensive lineman Tyler Merrill was the first prospect to commit to the Irish after Bowden left for the Trojans. It was only a couple of days after Bowden's departure that Notre Dame held its ma- jor junior day recruiting weekend. Merrill's commitment felt like a stabiliz- ing moment in Notre Dame's 2026 recruit- ing efforts, a signal to everyone involved, from other 2026 recruits to the coaching staff, that everything would be just fine. Regarding Merrill and Bowden's rela- tionship, the 6-6, 329-pounder noted that he had good conversations with Bowden during his visits, but his deeper relationships on staff at that time were with recruiting office staffers Carter Auman and Caleb Davis. And, of course, he thought the world of offensive line coaches Joe Rudolph and Rob Delaney. A few weeks after Merrill's commit- ment, Davis took the general manager position at San Diego State, while Au- man was promoted to Davis' former po- sition as director of recruiting. "They were a dynamic duo," Merrill said of Auman and Davis. "It was really fun to be around them. They kept us recruits really engaged, and there was a great energy about them." Davis' move stung, but Merrill grew closer to Auman, a fellow Pennsylvania native. "Being Pennsylvania guys, we'd talk about Sheetz versus Wawa and all of that," Merrill said. And for what it's worth, Merrill is on team Sheetz when it comes to the debate between the two convenience chains lo- cated predominantly in Pennsylvania. "That's the spot," he said. As a top prospect from Pennsylva- nia, Merrill did not have Penn State as his second choice — it was Clemson that he closely considered down the stretch. "I thought I was going to go to Clem- son in the summer of 2024 after my visit there," he said. "My eyes were pretty set on Clemson, and Coach [Dabo] Swin- ney was going to come to my school the Monday after my junior day visit at Notre Dame. "If I didn't go to that junior day, I might be a Clemson Tiger right now." ✦ Tyler Merrill's Commitment Set The Tone In Notre Dame's 2026 Class TYLER MERRILL OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-6 · 329 CUMBERLAND VALLEY H.S. MECHANICSBURG, PA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 231 14 7 ✪✪✪ — 41 14 ✪✪✪✪ — 16 7 ✪✪✪✪ 77 11 3 NOTABLE • Named to the 6A Pennsylvania Football News All-State first team in 2024. • Earned a spot on the PennLive All-Star team in 2024. • Was raised in Germany on a military base be- fore moving to the United States and first started playing youth football in Germany. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Jan. 30, 2025. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2026. • Visited Penn State 10 times and Michigan four times before picking the Irish. • Recruited by offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. • Traveled to South Bend 11 times, including his official visit on June 13, 2025. 2026 PROJECTION • Merrill is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "Merrill is an absolute road grader as a run blocker. He's extremely powerful and has a barrel-chested build. Merrill has big hands with outstanding grip strength and punch. Once he gets his hands on a defensive lineman, he shows the ability to manipulate them to his will. "He certainly projects as an interior guy at the next level when you look at his strengths as a player and his physical dimensions. He's an ideal fit at guard. I really like this pickup for Notre Dame; he adds a physical element to the line. Notre Dame has really recruited tackle particularly well the last few cycles, and adding Merrill to the mix gives them an explosive, physical presence at guard." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He is very close to being a five-star player. Merrill is as versatile as they come. He can play tackle, guard, or center. He is very strong, very athletic, and su- per quick for someone 310-plus pounds but also strong enough to dominate the point of attack. He sets a solid base, shows good balance and is able to handle inside move encounters easily. "I believe he shows All-American skills at the guard position." Merrill's pledge was a key moment for the Irish's 2026 class after former Notre Dame general man- ager Chad Bowden left for Southern Cal. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY