Notre Dame had already communicated to Tyler Merrill that he is a top target for their 2026 recruiting class. On June 15th, the first day they could reach out directly, they reinforced this message 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 visiting Wisconsin, landed, and got their call. It was special knowing how much they care.”
“They reiterated their commitment to recruiting me hard and expressed their love, which is consistent with their message throughout my recruitment,” Merrill added.
Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph emphasized Merrill’s importance.
“Coach Rudolph told me, ‘What I think of you is what I think of you. See as many places as you like, but you’ll always have a spot and a home here,’” Merrill recalled. “That was awesome and reinforced their interest, and I am equally interested in them.”
The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder, who has visited South Bend twice last year and once this spring, plans to return next month.
“I’m going back for the barbecue and possibly for a game,” he said. “It’ll be awesome. I look forward to meeting new people, catching up with Coach Rudolph and the staff. They love having me, and I love being there.”
Merrill has received numerous scholarship offers from schools like Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Duke, Boston College, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, and others, including Notre Dame.
He has recently visited Wisconsin, Clemson, and Penn State, with plans to visit Michigan after his trip to South Bend.
Still, Notre Dame stands out.
“It’s the exclusivity and the search for the right guys,” Merrill said about Notre Dame. “It takes special personality and character to play and be recruited by a school like Notre Dame. It’s an awesome opportunity that won’t go unnoticed in my recruitment. At the end of the day, it’s the people that matter most. Every place has nice facilities and great football teams, but it’s the people I want to surround myself with that’s most important.”
