USC offers 2025 linebacker Dawson Merritt

This recruit’s father will coach in Super Bowl LVIII for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The town of Overland Park, Kansas, has a player USC is interested in. Blue Valley High School junior linebacker Dawson Merritt has been offered by USC. He is becoming a hot name on the circuit this offseason.

Dawson Merritt is a three-star linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class and a native of Stilwell, Kansas.

Merritt is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, standing 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He holds additional offers from Appalachian State, Boston College, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Iowa State.

Merritt is the son of Kansas City Chiefs secondary coach Dave Merritt, who will coach in the upcoming Super Bowl this weekend against the San Fransisco 49ers.

USC’s defensive players in 2023 did not exhibit a high football IQ in most cases. There were some notable exceptions, particularly Bear Alexander and Eric Gentry, but a lot of the time, USC defensive players were confused. This is obviously a product of Alex Grinch’s poor coaching, but it’s notable that players lacked instinctive qualities which could overcome Grinch’s shortcomings. USC needs players who can naturally and easily grasp defensive concepts. Merritt’s identity as the son of a Super Bowl position coach shows that he could become a quick study on the football field, exactly the kind of player USC can use.

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