The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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PREP PROFILES D.C. Offensive Lineman Looking At Michigan If size is important in a team's offen- sive lineman — and with Michigan's desire to run a pro-style offense, it's certainly on the minds of the Wolver- ines' coaching staff —Richard Mer- ritt meets that requirement. Just a junior, Merritt already stands 6-4 and weighs 338 pounds. D e s p i t e h i s bulk, the big man can play. That is due in large part to his ability to still move with all that mass. "If Merritt gets his hands on a defensive lineman, he has no chance of getting to the quarterback," Rivals. com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman said. "Merritt is so strong that most of his opponents end up on the ground if he extends his arms. It will be interesting to watch Merritt improve over the rest of his career." Coaches have no plans on waiting to see his development; they're already sold on his ability. Arkansas, Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State and Vir- ginia Tech are just a few of the two dozen programs that have already is- sued scholarship offers to Merritt. Despite all the attention, though, Merritt hasn't yet had a chance to see many of those programs in person, so he's content to take his time narrowing down a list. "The most active have been Ala- bama, Michigan — Michigan hits me up every day, and I'm loving it — Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Maryland, West Virginia, Iowa, Auburn. There's a whole bunch of schools. "I haven't taken any unofficials yet, and I'm going to wait until after the season," he added. "Schools across the country, and even some closer to home, too. I'll probably narrow it down during my senior year, probably mid- season." His connection to Michigan is one he's looking forward to exploring when he makes his way to Ann Arbor. "I talk to Coach [Darrell] Funk, the offensive line coach. He's just trying to persuade me," Merritt said. "He's tell- ing me about how many guys he's put in the league and how many guys he's developed. He said not to worry about the struggles they're going through now, because it just shows they need me." If Michigan can land Merritt to be a big — literally and figuratively — piece up front, it will be a boost to the 2016 class and U-M's power run game. — Tim Sullivan ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Archbishop Carroll High School Washington, D.C. Class: 2016 Position: Offensive Line- man Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 338 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 3 player in the District of Columbia, No. 21 offen- sive tackle nationally and No. 204 over- all player in the country Richard Merritt