Probably one of the most under-rated players coming
into next season is Saguaro OL/DL Chris Merrill. Turn on the video and you can
see that an argument can be made that Merrill is the top two-way
lineman in the state. He was an all region, all city and all state
selection on both sides of the ball.
As a DE Merrill recorded 73 tackles and 21 sacks. Here are clips from
his junior year. He wears #70:
Watch Video
He is highlighted here playing right guard:
Watch Video
At 6-2 260 pounds Merrill does not have prototypical D1 size but
what he may lack in size he makes up for in strength and intensity. His weight
room numbers are impressive. He boasts a bench of over 400 pounds, squats nearly
600 and hang cleans 315. He runs in the 5.0 range in the forty with a best hand
time of 4.98 and he ran a 5.1 at the Scout.com combine in LA.
Merrill currently does not have an offer but a lot of
schools stopped by to evaluate Merrill this summer and the schools that seem to
have shown the most interest are UNLV, Oregon State, Fresno State, Colorado,
Arizona State. Arizona and Washington State, He plans to attend one day camps at
ASU and UofA.
Last season Merrill heped Saguaro to a 13-1 record and a 4A1
state title.