CanesNation55
Thunderdome
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2014
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- 147
New Smyrna Beach (FL) High School OL Jalen Merrick is running out of time.
He's in position to graduate early, which gives him just a few short weeks to make a decision from the seven schools that remain in his picture. Those schools, according to his coach Lance Jenkins, are Miami, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Florida State, LSU, Alabama and Miami.
Of those, it's UM and UF that aren't getting official visits.
That's despite Cane coaches taking an in-home visit with him last week and pushing hard to get him to switch this weekend's Alabama visit with the Hurricanes.
Merrick's already visited Wisconsin, Arkansas, FSU and most recently LSU.
"Miami coaches wanted him to come visit - coach Hurlie Brown [who went to high school with Jenkins] and coach (Al) Golden were here on campus this past week, and coach Brown and Art Kehoe visited his home that night," Jenkins said. "They were pushing him pretty hard for that visit. But he'll go to Alabama this weekend. He has been to Miami, knows what they offer. He's been to Miami so much growing up, his father's a Miami grad. So he's been there and his thought process and mine too is you've been there a bunch, go see some other things if they're going to pay for it. ... Florida's the same thing as well - he has a pool of seven teams he's looking at. He hasn't made any final decisions, and he's most likely going to make his decision after this Alabama visit."
While mystery surrounds what school he will pick, what's not a question is Merrick's talent level.
"He's just an athlete," Jenkins said. "He's 6-5, 330. He has as 36 inch vertical. It's only his second year ever playing football this past season. Before this he played AAU basketball all his life. He's a big guy that's a basketball player and has great feet. It's just a great crossover from where he was on the court to where he is on the field.
"He didn't turn 18 until September, so he really should be a 2016 guy. And he's benching over 400 pounds. He's just a natural athlete."
Jenkins, who also coached Merrick's older brother, saw Jalen as an eighth grader and tried to get him out for the football team back then.
"He was a monster, but just a basketball player," Jenkins said. "He came out for a cup of coffee his freshman year, played JV, didn't like it, didn't play as a sophomore. His junior year he made the commitment in the weight room, saw some results and it went from there."
Jenkins says Merrick has over 90 scholarship offers.
"When you see him in person compared to on film they're all just wowed compared to on film," Jenkins said. "He's just a big, dense human being and he's just going to get better and better and better. It's big upside."
Merrick also carries a 3.5-plus GPA.
"He's a very cerebral kid, he's done his due diligence, is going to make a decision," Jenkins said. "When he and I talk, we don't talk about schools, we just talk about what means a lot to him and what he's looking for. He's looking academics and football. Mom and dad are looking academics, too. He's a business (major), so that's what he's looking for, that combination of academics sand football, program prestige. And he wants to win."
He's in position to graduate early, which gives him just a few short weeks to make a decision from the seven schools that remain in his picture. Those schools, according to his coach Lance Jenkins, are Miami, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Florida State, LSU, Alabama and Miami.
Of those, it's UM and UF that aren't getting official visits.
That's despite Cane coaches taking an in-home visit with him last week and pushing hard to get him to switch this weekend's Alabama visit with the Hurricanes.
Merrick's already visited Wisconsin, Arkansas, FSU and most recently LSU.
"Miami coaches wanted him to come visit - coach Hurlie Brown [who went to high school with Jenkins] and coach (Al) Golden were here on campus this past week, and coach Brown and Art Kehoe visited his home that night," Jenkins said. "They were pushing him pretty hard for that visit. But he'll go to Alabama this weekend. He has been to Miami, knows what they offer. He's been to Miami so much growing up, his father's a Miami grad. So he's been there and his thought process and mine too is you've been there a bunch, go see some other things if they're going to pay for it. ... Florida's the same thing as well - he has a pool of seven teams he's looking at. He hasn't made any final decisions, and he's most likely going to make his decision after this Alabama visit."
While mystery surrounds what school he will pick, what's not a question is Merrick's talent level.
"He's just an athlete," Jenkins said. "He's 6-5, 330. He has as 36 inch vertical. It's only his second year ever playing football this past season. Before this he played AAU basketball all his life. He's a big guy that's a basketball player and has great feet. It's just a great crossover from where he was on the court to where he is on the field.
"He didn't turn 18 until September, so he really should be a 2016 guy. And he's benching over 400 pounds. He's just a natural athlete."
Jenkins, who also coached Merrick's older brother, saw Jalen as an eighth grader and tried to get him out for the football team back then.
"He was a monster, but just a basketball player," Jenkins said. "He came out for a cup of coffee his freshman year, played JV, didn't like it, didn't play as a sophomore. His junior year he made the commitment in the weight room, saw some results and it went from there."
Jenkins says Merrick has over 90 scholarship offers.
"When you see him in person compared to on film they're all just wowed compared to on film," Jenkins said. "He's just a big, dense human being and he's just going to get better and better and better. It's big upside."
Merrick also carries a 3.5-plus GPA.
"He's a very cerebral kid, he's done his due diligence, is going to make a decision," Jenkins said. "When he and I talk, we don't talk about schools, we just talk about what means a lot to him and what he's looking for. He's looking academics and football. Mom and dad are looking academics, too. He's a business (major), so that's what he's looking for, that combination of academics sand football, program prestige. And he wants to win."
