2026 OL Tyler Merrill Talks Notre Dame Interest, Previews Next Visit
Notre Dame had already made it clear to Tyler Merrill that he is one of its top targets in the Class of 2026.
But that didn’t stop the Irish from reiterating that on June 15th, the first day they could directly reach out to the Pennsylvania offensive lineman.
“I think I was their first call that night, so it was pretty awesome,” Merrill told Irish Sports Daily. “I was on my visit to Wisconsin and I landed and I got a call from them, so that was pretty special, just knowing that they care so much.
“:It was kind of the general, 'Hey, we're going to recruit you hard and we love you.' Stuff like that, kind of the message they've been sending this whole entire time throughout my recruitment with them.”
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph made sure the Cumberland Valley High School standout understands.
“Coach Rudolph said, 'Hey, what I think of you is what I think of you,’” Merrill recalled. “He said, 'See as many places as you'd like, but you'll always have a spot here. You'll always have a home here.'
“I thought that was pretty awesome. Just relaying that message of, they're still interested in me and I'm still interested in them. That was the gist of the conversation.”
The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder visited South Bend twice last year and once this spring with plans to return next month.
“I'm headed back there for the barbecue and then maybe for a game,” he said.
“It'll be awesome, I know for sure. I'm sure I'll get to talk to some new people there, some players, and get to catch up with Coach Rudolph and the rest of the staff. They love having me up there and I love being up there.”
Merrill has a lengthy list of scholarship offers that includes schools like Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Duke, Boston College, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and many others along with Notre Dame.
He’s made recent stops at Wisconsin, Clemson and Penn State and is planning to check out Michigan after his next trip to South Bend.
Still, it’s clear the Irish have his attention.
“I think it's just the exclusivity and looking for those right guys,” he said of what he likes about the Irish. “It takes a special personality and character to be able to play at a school such as Notre Dame. It also takes that to be recruited by school such as Notre Dame.
“It's an awesome opportunity and it definitely won't go unnoticed in my recruitment. To me, at the end of the day, it's just the people that matter the most. Every place is going to have nice facilities and a great football team, but it's the people who I want to surround myself with that's most important.”
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