Lagonza Hayward’s decommitment is still a bigger loss on paper, but Tennessee was able to offset that somewhat on the day the Early Signing Period began with a pretty impressive pickup in the secondary from Alabama. In the process, the Vols were able to troll another school as well.
Timothy Merritt, a defensive back out of Birmingham, Ala., flipped from the Miami Hurricanes to the Vols Wednesday. The 2025 prospect out of Parker High School in Jefferson County tease The U by putting on their hat at his signing ceremony, only to throw it and shout out an expletive before putting on the Tennessee hat.
Standing in the range of 6’1″ to 6’2″ and weighing around 180 pounds, the three-star on every service except rivals, where he is a four-star, had been committed to Mario Cristobal’s program in early June. He stayed committed earlier this week as Josh Heupel and co. began targeting him.
However, with them likely missing the College Football Playoff despite having their best quarterback ever, the writing was likely on the wall. Merritt likely saw Cristobal will never take them to the next level. UT, meanwhile, is in the CFP with a redshirt freshman quarterback who will only get better.
Merritt may be a bit more of a project than Hayward, but he still brings a lot of potential to be elite and was tested at his level. It’s likely, based on reports, he’ll play cornerback. His highlight reels reveal incredible speed, physicality and the ability to close in on a receiver, but he works in the slot a lot, so he could play nickel.
Regardless, his athletic ability makes him a great fit for this defense, so while he may be locked in at cornerback, the coaches should be able to move him around. In fact, while not being as good, he’s actually more versatile than Hayward, so the ceiling could be higher.
