Sometimes you do get a second chance.

As a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, Clemson recruited edge rusher London Merritt hard. The blue-chip talent took multiple visits to the school, including working out at camp one summer, and the Tigers would ultimately make his top schools list.

However, after transferring from Woodward Academy near Atlanta to IMG Academy, Merritt started to trend away from Clemson. He actually committed to Ohio State originally, before decommitting a few months later. He would go on to sign with Colorado.

After one season with the Buffaloes. Merritt decided he was ready for a change and entered the transfer portal, giving him an opportunity to matriculate back to one of the schools he originally held in high regard.

During a visit on Thursday, Merritt committed to the Tigers, filling one of several needs on Tom Allen’s defense that are being addressed via the portal.

“It took me being somewhere else to realize that Clemson is a good fit for me because of their system and tradition of developing D-linemen,” Merritt told The Clemson Insider.

Merritt appeared in all 12 games for Colorado this season, including one start, earning PFF All-Freshman honors. He was also named Honorable Mention for Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end finished with 25 total tackles, 14 unassisted tackles, eight tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, and one sack. His eight tackles for loss were the second most by a freshman in the Big 12 and fourth in the NCAA for true freshmen.

With Will Heldt and Jahiem Lawson both set to return in 2026, Merritt’s addition gives Allen one more weapon at his disposal when it comes to getting after opposing quarterbacks.