Jacob Merrifield
Jacob Merrifield
Wins his gap play after play. Across five seasons and two programs, four head coaches: Willie Taggart, Tom Herman, Chad Lunsford and Alex Golesh. The receipt on tape: 4 tackles against Charlotte, Week 6, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jeff Scott → Alex Golesh. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Brian Hartline
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | South Florida | 19 | 7 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Florida Atlantic | 15 | 4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Florida Atlantic | 13 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Florida Atlantic | 14 | 5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Florida Atlantic | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 63 | 22 | 8.5 | 4.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 7 · 2025
W 63–36
at North Texas
3 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 SACKS
Dominant 27-point win on the road against North Texas.
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
South Florida
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive tackle · South Florida
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +10 net (44 in / 34 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
South Florida · Last season: 9-4 (AP #25) · Talent rank #61 · 2026 recruiting class #90
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Doran Ray’s 2025 season.
Matches Doran on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Doran Ray's graduate season at Toledo (2025).
Matches Doran on