Dawson Merritt
Nebraska Cornhuskers
78
Solid

Dawson Merritt

Nebraska CornhuskersContender
WLBDefenseSolid
2nd String / Backup

Is Dawson Merritt starting?

Dawson Merritt is listed 2nd string at WLB for Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Sophomore · #40 · 6'3", 225 lbs

See full Nebraska Cornhuskers depth chart ›
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Depth at WLB · Nebraska Cornhuskers

  1. 13391Owen ChamblissStarter
  2. 24078Dawson MerrittYou

Nebraska Starting Lineup

Full Nebraska depth chart ›

Top linebackers in the Big Ten

Rolijah HardyIndiana · WLBJayden MontgomeryIowa · WLBBraydon BrusNorthwestern · WLB

The Story

Making His Case

A 4-star recruit out of Blue Valley, ranked #121 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 0 sacks. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 78 overall (Solid tier).

Recruit4★ · #121 NatlTeam Share1%
Stilwell, KS
Jersey
#40
Class
SO
Height
6'3"
Weight
225 lbs

2025 Stats

SeasonTklTFLSacks
2025810

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★★☆4-star
Composite
0.9442
National Rank
#121
High School
Blue Valley
Hometown
Stilwell, KS

Why this rating?

On a 88-rated defense; 49th-percentile production (×0.95 for competition level) put them -4 vs unit starters → 78.

Team defense (SP+)
88
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 49% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 25% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.95)
Depth-chart adjustment
-4 for role; −6 depth penalty

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Oct 3WMDTKL 3
TKL
3
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 48-23

Sep 26WMSUTKL 2
TKL
2
SOLO
2
SACK
1
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 31-13

Sep 19WUNDTKL 1
TKL
1
SOLO
1
SACK
1
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 34-7

Sep 12WBGSUTKL 1
TKL
1
SOLO
0
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final W 56-7

Sep 5WOHIOTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 49-21

Dawson Merritt's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 78 OVR fair?
78
Solid
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

8 tkl · 1 TFL · 0 sacks
Usage / Involvement8%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.