Overland Park (Kansas) Blue Valley linebacker Dawson Merritt announced his commitment to Nebraska on Thursday, switching to the Huskers despite a previous commitment to Alabama.

Merritt, a four-star linebacker ranked as the nation’s No. 85 prospect by 247Sports, took his recruitment back to Nebraska and Alabama over the summer, visiting both schools multiple times.

Merritt committed to the Crimson Tide in late June, but Nebraska maintained strong relationships and even brought Merritt in for a game-day visit to Lincoln this fall.

NU’s late recruiting boom has paid off, giving the Huskers a dynamic pass-rush prospect who continues to improve his game.

Blue Valley head coach Allen Terrell has witnessed Merritt’s football journey firsthand as the only head coach to ever know the linebacker prospect.

While Merritt’s father, Dave Merritt, is a longtime NFL assistant coach who has worked for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2019, Dawson wasn’t initially open to the sport of football — he was all about basketball. When Merritt was in eighth grade, Terrell’s attempts to invite him to football practices fell on deaf ears.

It wasn’t until Merritt’s friends convinced him to play for Blue Valley’s freshman team that the player began to develop a love for the game. Merritt’s first two football seasons were, according to Terrell, a “kid’s runner” and consisted of slow, gradual growth.

“We challenged him to get bigger and stronger so he has the confidence and ability to dominate at our level of high school football, the best there is in Kansas City,” Terrell said in June. “Game one of his junior year, it was very clear it had happened.”

Merritt’s recruitment exploded, landing the 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker with more than 20 scholarship offers in a span of five months. Nebraska was one of those programs and quickly moved to visit Merritt multiple times at his high school while inviting the elite prospect to campus as a top 2025 target.

During those visits, Nebraska coaches presented a vision for Merritt’s future. The Husker commit plays as a hybrid outside linebacker/pass rusher for Blue Valley, a role similar to the “Jack” linebacker position on Nebraska’s defense. NU coaches explained how they would develop Merritt and also promised stability.

Nebraska now has 20 commits in the 2025 recruiting class, with Merritt the highest-ranked prospect overall. Recruiting rankings are built to reflect potential, an area of ​​Merritt’s game that shines brightly.

A quick, athletic pass rusher with long arms and coverage skills, Merritt’s commitment to Nebraska has given the Huskers a linebacker prospect with the traits of a future game-changer.

“The first time he ever played football was his freshman year, so we’re just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of,” Terrell said of Merritt. “I’ve coached for 25 years and you really know a special kid when you see one, and Dawson has that about him. He just has a spark, a light that shines through.”