Dawson Merritt Talks Kansas Offer

Since Lance Leipold took over as head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, the program hasn't shied away from going after some high-level recruits. That's especially true for players in their own backyard.

Dawson Merritt is a 6-foot-3 205-pound linebacker. He is currently listed as a four-star 2025 prospect. He is ranked 129th nationally and ranked as the 17th linebacker. He also ranks as the 5th Kansas prospect inside the state.

Merritt, the son of Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, attends high school at Blue Valley in Stillwell, Kansas. The Kansas staff extended a scholarship offer to Merritt back in November of 2023, but he recently spoke with Blue Wings Rising to recap his offer experience.

“It was really cool to get an offer from KU. Definitely nice that my hometown team values me as a player,” Merritt stated when speaking to Blue Wings Rising.

Diving deeper into his conversation the in-state prospect stated, “I’ve spoken to a lot of coaches on staff, but Coach Leipold is the one who offered me. It was awesome because he invited my parents and me to his office on gameday!” Merritt stated. “They’ve expressed to me what I mean to them and how I could play a big role in their defense.”

“Kansas is unique in the way that their rebuild happened so fast and now they’re a top 25 team in the country in such a short amount of time,” said Merritt. “I think I could bring a lot to the program being a player who I feel like could play many different positions if needed and early as well.”

He also confirmed to Blue Wings Rising that he will be visiting at some point in the near future and the Jayhawks are a top option for him at the moment.