Four-star wide receiver Walker Merrill committed to home-state Tennessee for several reasons - one of the biggest being a program that’s consistently getting better.
That’s been on display for the Volunteers so far in 2020 as the team jumped off to a 2-0 start with real momentum heading into the heart of their schedule with Georgia and beyond.
“Half the reason I chose to come to Tennessee was because it’s a program on the rise,” Merrill told Volquest. “It’s exciting to sit back and watch who I’m going to play for next year and for them to be doing so well.
“It’s big because you’re going into a program that is succeeding. It’s good to see.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver chose the Vols back in March. Since, the 2021 class has risen to No. 6 in the country, per Rivals.
The in-state prospect is keeping tabs on other commits in the class while also building relationships with players already on the team.
“I’ve been talking with Jordan Mosley and Hudson Wolfe,” Merrill said of the class. “Brian Maurer has also reached out to me to see how I’ve been doing. So, we have been talking a lot.”
What’s particularly exciting for Merrill and others coming to Knoxville next season is the fact that Tennessee is playing freshmen and counting on those freshmen to make a considerable impact early on in the season.
“I think in the first game against South Carolina, Tennessee had 11 freshmen play. That’s pretty cool,” the Brentwood, Tenn. native said. “When I see freshmen out there playing right now, I can see myself out there making an impact early, too.”
Merrill, the Volunteer State’s 17th-rated prospect and No. 59 wideout in the nation, keeps in touch with both head coach Jeremy Pruitt and wide receivers coach Tee Martin on a regular basis. The commit said he and Pruitt text each other at least once a week.
During his final prep season and time before arriving on campus, Merrill is focused on speed. Though the four-star runs a consistent 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, he knows there’s always room for improvement.
“I’m looking to improve every game so I can take my game to the next level and compete with those guys in Knoxville. With that, I need to get faster. You’ve got to be fast to play in the SEC,” the wideout noted. “That and getting healthy are my two main points of emphasis right now.”
After starting the season on a high note with a combined 250 receiving yards with three touchdowns in Brentwood’s first two games, Merrill began to suffer hamstring issues.
Two pulled hamstrings, in fact.
The injury forced him to miss some time as the Tennessee commit played on ‘one leg’ at times.
“It’s been very frustrating. I’ve been battling these issues the past four weeks,” Merrill said. “There’s been points in time where I’ve tried to play through it and points where I just couldn’t. But I’m battling back and working to get up to 100 percent.”
The Tennessee native will have some time to recover before Brentwood hits the gridiron next at Franklin on October 16.
