Let’s rewind a few years to Dawson Merritt’s freshman year of high school.
The Kansas native surprised his parents when he told them in May that he’d like to go out for football in June. Merritt had been a good basketball player to that point but hadn’t shown the same interest in football yet. He ended up joining the football team as a wide receiver and middle linebacker.
That combination couldn’t last long so he decided to focus on just playing linebacker. The advice to pick one side of the ball came from Merritt’s father, Dave.
And Dad knows a thing or two about football. You see, he is currently the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
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During his junior season two years later is when his father Dave Merritt saw the light bulb come on for his son.
“It was his junior year after the first game when he had (a bunch) of plays that I saw technique. I saw knee bend. I saw discipline,” Dave said. “And I'm like, ‘Huh, wait a minute.’
“Then he made a goal line stop. A big hit to stop the guy on the goal line. I told his mom right after that first game that he played in his junior year, I said, ‘Your son will gain scholarships off of that one game.’ ”
According to Dave, she looked at Dave like he had 10 heads. But he was correct. Within a week Dawson held scholarship offers from Iowa State, Boston College, Michigan State and Appalachian State.
The path toward an eventual commitment to Alabama had begun.
DAD HAT VS. COACH HAT
There is a trust factor between father and son that goes beyond the family ties.
Not everyone trusts football advice from their dad but this is a unique situation. Yes, Dave coaches defensive backs in the NFL. But he also played linebacker and was an All-ACC selection at NC State. Then he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. He knows football. But the challenges of being ‘dad’ and being ‘coach’ are difficult.
“I was so blind as a dad because I had on my dad hat most of the time at the recruiting visits. Because I didn't want to bring my (football) mind into play when it came to me being biased over defensive coordinators,” Dave said.
“I wanted my son to see these schools for who and what they were. Get involved with the coaches, see if he liked the coaches. Then ‘Hey, you can play in whatever scheme.’ ”
Merritt sees and appreciates the value that his father's dual roles provide to his recruitment.
"Just having him as a father figure first to help me put all my pieces into play is great but also just him being able to see through certain coaches and if their scheme was solid or if they were B.S. and stuff like that," Merritt said. "Also, I’ve talked to a lot of his players during my recruitment which has helped a lot also.”
Now that Dave is back in season and the college football season is in full swing, he’s able to analyze how Alabama says they’d like to use Dawson in its defense. He can look at what defensive coordinator Tony White is doing at Nebraska to compare it with what he does with the Chiefs. That’s been an eye-opening experience for Dave.
But when the coach hat and dad hat intersect, he can appear tough on his son.
“My thing is this. I look at Dawson with my coaching eyes and I'm hard on him when it comes to his playing technique and doing the right things,” Dave said. “Mom is the cuddler. She’ll say ‘Baby, why are you being so hard on him? He is still young and in high school.’ "
Dave will go full tilt the other way because that’s just his personality when he’s looking at a player between the lines. When it’s football time, they live on 100 and 53rd. Meaning there’s a field 100 yards long and 53 yards wide.
“There’s no cuddling and he’ll tell you that,” Dave said.
SOAKING IT ALL IN
The end of Dawson’s high school career is coming soon. There are just a handful of times left that both mom and dad will be able to see him play in person. Dave is enjoying every bit of it. His son is committed to Alabama (though Nebraska continues to be an option) to play his college football. Dawson will graduate in December with a good GPA, play in the Under Armour All-American Bowl and then enroll early at his program of choice.
On the field, Dawson has become the type of player that Dave and Chiefs GM Brett Veach look for. A versatile player that you don’t have to constantly tell the same instructions. A coach can tell Dawson things once and he has it down.
Dave has drawn some parallels between his son and Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Both are kids of former professional athletes who are making their own way in the sports world. But there is a humility present that allows them to just go to work without being impressed by superficial things that don’t matter.
Oh and the other superstar that is always around Kansas City – Taylor Swift – the Merritt’s have met her. Dave’s daughter had been begging to meet the pop star all season long. She caught Swift’s eye at the Super Bowl after party and the pair had a great conversation without Dave having to introduce them. Dave caught it all on video and his daughter has never been more proud.
The dad hat and the coach hat can coexist after all.
