Dawson Merritt
Nebraska Cornhuskers
71
Average

Dawson Merritt

Nebraska CornhuskersSolid
WLBDefenseAverage
2nd String / Backup

Is Dawson Merritt starting?

Dawson Merritt is listed 2nd string at WLB for Nebraska Cornhuskers.

See full Nebraska Cornhuskers depth chart ›

The Story

Making His Case

A 4-star recruit out of Blue Valley, ranked #121 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 0 sacks. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 71 overall (Average tier).

Recruit4★ · #121 NatlTeam Share1%
Stilwell, KS
Jersey
#40
Class
SO
Height
6'3"
Weight
225 lbs

2025 Stats

SeasonTklTFLSacks
2025810

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★★☆4-star
Composite
0.9442
National Rank
#121
High School
Blue Valley
Hometown
Stilwell, KS

Why this rating?

On a 82-rated defense; 48th-percentile production (×0.91 for competition level) put them -5 vs unit starters → 71.

Team defense (SP+)
82
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 48% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 25% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.91)
Depth-chart adjustment
-5 for role; −6 depth penalty

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

The People's Ratings

Is our 71 OVR fair?
71
Average
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

8 tkl · 1 TFL · 0 sacks
Usage / Involvement8%

Depth at WLB · Nebraska Cornhuskers

  1. 13389Owen ChamblissStarter
  2. 24071Dawson MerrittYou
  3. 34371Will Hawthorne
  4. 44253Derek Wacker
Coach NebraskaTake them from week one to the natty. You call every play.

Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.