Tobias Merriweather's 41-Yard Touchdown Catch could be a Precursor to a Breakout Fall

Notre Dame trailed Stanford 13-7 early in the fourth quarter last October. Freshman wide receiver Tobias Merriweather lined up in the slot with the ball at midfield on second and 14.

Cardinal safety Kendall Williamson gave the 6-4 wideout a deep cushion, but he bit on an outside fake. At that moment, quarterback Drew Pyne sent a deep shot down the middle of the field and Merriweather separated, accelerating for a 41-yard reception before falling into the end zone. 

Soon, Fighting Irish teammates met Merriweather in celebration, rejoining in his picture-perfect introduction to the college football world and Notre Dame’s one-point lead.

“Every receiver’s dream is that beautiful ball slowing down, midair, you see it spiraling at you,” Merriweather said. “Touchdown!”

Of course, their state jubilee was short-lived. Notre Dame squandered the late lead, falling to Stanford 16-14 in the program's most disappointing loss of coach Marcus Freeman’s first season. 

Ultimately, this play should still serve as a precursor for what’s to come from Merriweather, even if it was his lone reception last fall.

He has a knack for chasing down the deep ball — an element of the passing game new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker hopes to highlight more often in 2023.

“I don’t do comparisons, but [with] Randy Moss, the ball was in the air, it’s like he got faster,” Irish wide receiver coach Chansi Stuckey said. “And Tobias, the ball is in the air, the guy is right next to him, it’s like he hits another gear and just runs away from guys. 

“That’s a very unique skill set to have. You can never outthrow him and he makes plays down the field.” 

Merriweather enrolled at Notre Dame last spring as the lone wide receiver in the 2022 recruiting class. 

He took time to adjust to a Notre Dame pro-style offense and Pyne didn’t target him in the passing game until the team’s week six matchup against BYU.

“Learning a new offense, coming from high school when you have a pretty simple offense, we ran the ball a lot and had simple plays and just kind of get it out to me,” Merriweather said. “[This is] a way more advanced offense.”

He caught his first and only pass of the season the following week against Stanford before suffering a severe concussion that halted his mid-fall progress.

Now, heading into year two, Merriweather is primed for a breakout season, especially if Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman wins the starting job. In 26 games over the last two seasons, he threw 192 deep balls (7.4 per contest) for 86 completion and 36 touchdowns. 

No other quarterback in college football attempted more passes of 20 yards or more during that period. 

Who was Hartman’s primary downfield target in Wiston-Salem? Another tall downfield threat in the 6-foot-5 A.T. Perry, who snagged 25 of Hartman’s deep balls for 991 yards and 15 scores.

“You see Sam on Saturdays [at] Wake Forest just throwing the ball downfield and making plays happen in that offense,” Merriweather said. “It’s exciting to see what that can do for our offense.” 

By comparison, Pyne and Tyler Buchner attempted a combined 51 passes of 20 yards or more (3.9 per game) for 11 touchdowns in 2022.

This fall, Merriweather should be much more than a downfield threat. His teammates believe he has the potential to be the top receiving target this fall. He’s an advanced route runner for his age and possesses rare fluidity for his size. 

“That’s the beauty of him being 6-3, 6-4,” Stuckey said. “‘I can run deep, but I also can sink my hips and run a stop or a stab or a slant or an option route.’ He can run the full route tree, and I think he believes that and I think he knows the work it takes to be great.”

Fans have yet to see such nuanced aspects of Merriweather’s game, but he consistently embarrassed high school defenders with his ability to stop on a dime. 

He’s also better prepared physically this spring. 

Last fall, he played at around 190 pounds. Defensive backs could easily jam him at the line or body him up on jump balls at that size.

This spring, he’s up to 205 pounds and there’s definition in his shoulder and arms.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Merriweather said. “Last year, those DBs are strong. I’d get pushed out of bounds a little bit. Roughed up. But I think holding my own a lot more on the sides and being able to make those contested catches.” 

The added strength is necessary, but Merriweather still looks slender compared to other Fighting Irish receivers like Jayden Thomas, Deion Colzie or Rico Flores.

“The physical part will come,” Stuckey said. “What I look at, and I know what separates guys at the next level, is the mentality. He has matured so much in a year. You can just tell the focus is different. He’s confident, making plays down the field. He understands his body better. We give him the freedom to have savviness in his routes. 

“That’s what he does well. He’s such a creative route runner and he has so much speed.”

The competition with other Notre Dame skill players this spring pushes Merriweather’s game forward. 

At spring practice No. 9, which the media attended, freshman All-American cornerback Ben Morrison shadowed Merriweather no matter where he lined up in 11-on-11 periods. 

He also knows he can’t let up in practice with Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas, Chris Tyree and a trio of mid-year freshmen wide receivers also elevating their games. 

“I think he understands what it takes to be great,” Stuckey said. “[There’s] still a ways to go but understanding what it takes, how good other guys are and what we expect from him. The expectation is for him to be a great receiver and be one of the guys that go down in history—a lot of this game is mental. I think he’s turned the corner mentally, and he loves being challenged.”