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Dawson Merritt was one of the nation’s top defensive recruits while starring at linebacker for Blue Valley High School in Kansas. He was a three-year starter for the Tigers, helping his team to three consecutive trips to the state tournament, including a semifinal appearance as a junior.
Merritt totaled 141 tackles in his junior and senior seasons combined with 14 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. He also added four pass breakups, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. As a senior in 2024, Merritt had 58 tackles, 11 TFLs and seven sacks with four pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He recorded 83 tackles as a junior with 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In his junior season, Merritt was a first-team all-state selection and was a finalist for Kansas 6A Defensive Player of the Year.
A unanimous four-star recruit, Merritt is ranked as the No. 85 recruit in the nation by 247Sports. He was also ranked as the third-best prospect in Kansas by ESPN.
Dawson is the son of current Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, who was an All-ACC linebacker at NC State and played in 38 games in the NFL.