CLEMSON – It took three years, two other commitments, and three states, but London Merritt found his way to Clemson ahead of the 2026 football season.

The defensive end visited the Tigers in his junior year of high school before committing to Ohio State and eventually Colorado, but entered the transfer portal and signed with Clemson two years later, heading back to the south after his freshman season with the Buffaloes.

“I looked at (Clemson) a pretty good amount,” the former four-star recruit said of his high school experience with the Tigers. “It was around my sophomore year, I visited and things like that, my Junior Day. They offered me my junior year and they were on my list for sure. I liked them a lot, but then I just kind of tilted towards other schools.”

Merritt committed to head coach Deion Sanders at Colorado after his senior high school season, which he played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The edge rusher made one start in his rookie season with the Buffaloes, notching 25 tackles, including eight for loss, across 12 games. Merritt earned All-American Freshman Team honors from PFF, and garnered an All-Big 12 Freshman Defender of the Year Honorable Mention.

When the Atlanta, Ga., native decided to enter the transfer portal last New Year’s Eve, coming back to Clemson felt like destiny.

“I just felt like it was a sign,” Merritt told media members during spring practice in March. “I’m back here twice and definitely it was just a lot better than where I was facility wise, coaching wise, I feel like it was just a better option for me.”

Merritt added that he held much respect for Sanders and the staff at Colorado, but wanted to finish his collegiate career at a place with precedents of success for defensive linemen. Quickly, he made a connection in the Upstate with one position coach who has helped players achieve that success at multiple levels.

Defensive ends coach Chris Rumph was a deciding factor for Merritt.

Rumph, entering his third full season in his second stint with Clemson, has coached over 25 NFL Draft picks. Most recently, Rumph helped Clemson edge T.J. Parker to a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2026 Draft in April.

“For me to get into that step to the next level,” Merritt said, when asked about his interest in Clemson. “Especially with coach Rumph, they just have a history of putting guys in the league. So that’s my main objective.”

After being named the No. 7 recruit in Florida by ESPN in 2024, notching 23 tackles, one sack, and seven pass breakups in only eight games played his final year, Merritt continued his senior year playing for IMG’s basketball team, and competed in multiple events in track.

His athleticism, according to Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen, flashed early in practices with the Tigers.

“We went out and got a guy like London that we felt like was a big strong guy that can play the run game and then also provide some pop in the pass rush game,” Allen said in March. “And he’s been a very heavy-handed guy and it showed up again today.”

Additionally, according to Allen, Merritt’s game proved to be even better than the second-year coordinator anticipated, after watching the underclassmen through several weeks of practice with his new team, alongside three other transfer defensive linemen.

 And “(Merritt’s) a tough, tough kid and really, I think he’s a better player than what I thought when I saw he didn’t play a ton at Colorado,” he said. “He played some for sure but you just didn’t know for sure. I went back and watched all his high school film. I went watched high school even camps that he went to just to see him and see his competitive spirit and all that about him. And so he to me has more (than expected). I’m excited about London.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney echoed the praise, especially about the transfer’s toughness. Though, unlike Allen, he narrowed it down to one descriptor– Dude.

“He’s a dude, and he’s got three years left,” Swinney said of Merritt. “We needed somebody who was gonna help us right away.” 

Tiger fans still have a few months to wait before Merritt makes his Clemson debut, but based on Swinney and Allen’s comments, they can expect to see him take the field at Tiger Stadium when Clemson will open its season against LSU on September 5.