Tag: Walker Merrill

Tennessee wide receiver enters transfer portal

Tennessee wide receiver enters the NCAA transfer portal.

Tennessee sophomore wide receiver Walker Merrill has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“I want to thank God, my coaches and Vol nation for a great two years in Knoxville,” Merrill announced Wednesday. “My time there will always be cherished. I gave everything I had to the program and gained a lot of great memories, friendships and experiences. After many thoughts and prayers with family and mentors, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Merrill appeared in 23 games for the Vols from 2021-22, recording 13 receptions, 168 yards and three touchdowns.

He came to Tennessee from Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

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Fall camp: Walker Merrill ‘plays harder than anyone on the field’

Fall camp: Wide receiver Walker Merrill ‘plays harder than anyone on the field’

Tennessee practiced for the ninth time Thursday during fall training camp at Haslam Field ahead of the 2022 season.

Following Thursday’s practice, first-year wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope met with media.

Pope discussed sophomore wide receiver Walker Merrill during fall training camp.

“Walker has had a really good camp,” Pope said. “Last spring, he had a knee injury that he had to work through, so he was just working back at camp. He has been really good. He plays harder than anyone on the field, so he is always going to give himself a chance to be successful.”

Merrill appeared in 10 games for Tennessee in 2021. He totaled five receptions for 52 yards last season.

Walker Merrill. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

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Fall camp: Josh Heupel discusses Vols’ wide receivers opposite of Cedric Tillman

Fall camp: Josh Heupel discusses Tennessee’s wide receivers opposite of Cedric Tillman

Tennessee scrimmaged for the first time during fall training camp Tuesday ahead of the 2022 season.

Following the Vols’ scrimmage, second-year head coach Josh Heupel met with media.

Heupel was asked about Tennessee’s wide receivers opposite of redshirt senior Cedric Tillman.

“I feel like Ramel (Keyton) has done some positive things,” Heupel said. “Walker Merrill has been out there and made some plays, operated really efficiently. Bru (McCoy) has done some really good things in some of our practices.

“That’s a point of competition here still on the back half of training camp. We have to have multiple guys step up, and certainly would like to have at least one of them to step up and grab a hold of that position.”

Tillman totaled 64 receptions, 1,081 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season in Heupel’s offense.

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Josh Heupel details Walker Merrill during spring practices

2021 Tennessee Vols’ football spring football practices.

Walker Merrill is taking part in his first spring camp at Tennessee.

The early enrollee freshman wide receiver signed with Tennessee during the early signing period in December.

Following Tennessee’s 11th practice, the second scrimmage of spring, first-year head coach Josh Heupel discussed Merrill and the “great job” he has done so far with the Vols.

“He plays extremely hard,” Heupel said of Merrill. “He is smart, competitive, knows where he needs to be. As much as anything, it matters a great deal to him, and that pushes him and drives him, whether that is in the meeting room or catching extra balls off the JUGS machine during his spare time. Whether that is running extra routes, that is how he approaches everything he does. He has urgency.

“It matters to him, he wants to be great, and he is going to be a special player as his career continues to go on.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound freshman is from Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

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In-state wide receiver signs with Tennessee

Tennessee Vols’ recruiting news.

The early signing period has kicked off and goes through Dec. 18.

Tennessee secured another signee on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday.

4-star wide receiver Walker Merrill has signed with the Vols. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound wide receiver played at Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Merrill committed to the Vols on March 31 over South Carolina, Penn State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, LSU and several other schools.

The early signing period takes place Dec. 16-18 for the 2021 recruiting class. National signing day is slated for Feb. 3.

University of Tennessee’s early signing period tracker

University of Tennessee’s 2021 commitment tracker

University of Tennessee’s 2022 commitment tracker

Fab Four: Selecting Tennessee football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

Vols’ wide receiver commit breaks high school records

This 4-star prospect set records in 2020.

Tennessee wide receiver commit Walker Merrill helped Brentwood High School (Tennessee) to a state championship appearance, losing to Oakland.

Merrill had a record-breaking season.

The 4-star prospect broke multiple single game records at Brentwood for receptions in a season (100), receptions in a game with (16) and receiving yards in a game (206).

He finished second in school history for receiving yards in a season with 1,173.

The 6-foot-1, 178-pound wide receiver is rated as the No. 57 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting class on the 247Sports Composite and the No. 9 player in Tennessee.

The early signing period takes place Dec. 16-18 for the 2021 recruiting class. National signing day is Feb. 3.

University of Tennessee’s 2021 commitment tracker

University of Tennessee’s 2022 commitment tracker

UT recruiting update: How Tennessee commits fared under the Friday night lights

These Tennessee commits were in action for their high school football teams.

The 2020 high school football season is officially over in the state of Tennessee, as state championships were held in Cookeville over the weekend.

Some surrounding states are still in action, but the majority of high school football student-athletes are finished. A few Tennessee commits were still playing last weekend, whether it was for a state title or playoffs in another state.

Below is a rundown of what Tennessee commits did for their high school football teams last Friday.

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UT recruiting update: How Tennessee commits fared under the Friday night lights

A few Tennessee commits are still in action with their high school football seasons.

Tennessee’s 2021 recruiting class has taken some hits recently with decommitments of 4-star defensive back Damarius McGhee and 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis.

A few prospects, however, have announced they are locked into their commitment. Prospects like Kaidon Salter, Aaron Willis and Dylan Brooks do not appear to be going anywhere as the early signing period quickly approaches.

The list of Tennessee players still playing high school football is dwindling, as most states wind down the football season. Here is a rundown of a few Tennessee commits that were in action last Friday.

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Tennessee commit reaches Tennessee 6A state championship game

This future Vol will be playing for a championship Friday.

Brentwood High School continues its 6A postseason run in the state of Tennessee.

Brentwood defeated Bartlett, 24-14, Friday, advancing to the state championship game, where they will face Oakland.

Tennessee commitment Walker Merrill is a wide receiver for Brentwood.

Merrill is a 4-star prospect and has a chance to finish his prep career with a championship before signing to be part of Tennessee’s 2021 recruiting class.

Brentwood will look to avenge a loss from earlier this season, when the Bruins fell to Oakland, 37-0.

The early signing period for the 2021 class takes place Dec. 16-18.

University of Tennessee’s 2021 commitment tracker

University of Tennessee’s 2022 commitment tracker

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UT recruiting update: How future Vols fared under the Friday night lights

Several Tennessee commits are in their high school’s postseason.

We are approaching the end of November, which means the high school football season is dwindling in several states.

The list of Tennessee 2021 commits that are still playing is growing shorter, but there are still a few teams in action that are being helped by future Vols.

Here is a recap on how members of Tennessee’s 2021 recruiting class played last Friday.

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