Four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger got offered by Rutgers football on Thursday night.
A 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback for Calvary Day School (Savannah, GA), Merklinger is ranked the No. 137 player in the class of 2024 in the 247Sports Composite.
As a sophomore, Merklinger completed 70.4 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,513 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led his team with 11 rushing touchdowns and was second with 297 rushing yards.
Last season, Calvary Day went 12-1, losing to Fellowship Christian 21-14 in the playoffs.
He has an offer list that includes Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, UCF, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
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He also has pulled in recent offers this week from Auburn and Ole Miss as well according to his social media.
Merklinger tweeted about the offer, tagging head coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson:
#AGTG Very thankful to say that I have received an Offer from Rutgers University!!@GregSchiano @Coach__Gleeson pic.twitter.com/JDWSRp0iO9
— Jake Merklinger (@JakeMerklinger) May 13, 2022
A dual-sport athlete, Merklinger was all-area in lacrosse, being named honorable mention. He also plays basketball.
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The class of 2024 is likely to be the next time that Rutgers football adds a scholarship quarterback. They have not yet offered a scholarship quarterback for the current recruiting class.
In the previous recruiting cycle, Rutgers landed the talented Gavin Wimsatt, an early enrollee who was technically part of the 2021 recruiting class (Wimsatt was originally part of the 2023 recruiting class but he played two games of his senior season before enrolling early with the Big Ten program).
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Wimsatt was a four-star recruit, ranked the top player in Kentucky and the No. 10 quarterback in the nation. He held offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon and Vanderbilt among others.
In the Gator Bowl, Wimsatt featured heavily in the second half for Rutgers.