Nebraska football is ‘hanging tough’ with Alabama for Dawson Merritt

There’s no question that one of the top priorities for Nebraska football in the 2025 class is four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt, who is ranked in the top 100.

Merritt, who is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds out of Overland Park, Kansas, is 92nd overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. His dad is an assistant coach for the Chiefs and the Huskers have been neck-and-neck with Alabama in his recruitment since his official visit during the spring.

The Merritt family moved some things around in order to make that visit happen, so that was a good sign for the Huskers. Merritt has said he’s down to Nebraska and Alabama, but last weekend, he took his official visit to Alabama and the Tide were able to seize the momentum.

Nebraska football ‘hanging tough’ with Alabama for Dawson Merritt

Alabama started trending with expert projections for Merritt at On3.com and the On3 prediction machine heavily favors the Tide right now at 96 percent. That’s less than ideal for the Huskers, but according to Chad Simmons of On3.com, Nebraska football is “hanging tough” in the recruitment of Merritt.

Simmons discussed a phone call between Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and Merritt, which went really well. Merritt wants to be 100 percent sure of his decision and according to Simmons, neither school has gotten to that point.

There isn’t a timeline for a commitment yet. It will be interesting to see if Nebraska football can get Merritt back on campus for an unofficial visit next month.

But the Huskers aren’t ceding anything to Alabama and the latest update from Simmons makes you feel that Nebraska at least has a puncher’s chance of landing Merritt’s commitment, even if there is work to do.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.