Why Ohio State is 'one of the schools at the very top' of 2025 DE London Merritt's recruitment

London Merritt had NFL aspirations before he played a snap of high school football. The 2025 defensive end said his goals stemmed from watching games with his father on Sundays.

“I remember him telling me ‘You can make it happen, but it’ll take a lot of hard work and a really long journey,’” Merritt told The Dispatch.

Now Merritt, who has transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season from Woodward Academy in Georgia, holds 40-plus offers from top college football programs around the country. He’s a borderline top-100 player in the 2025 class and a top-10 defensive end per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Ohio State has an interest in Merritt, having made an official offer. And Merritt has an interest in OSU with an official visit scheduled for June.

“My relationship with them is great,” Merritt said. “They are one of the schools at the very top of my list.”

He told The Dispatch he'll also make an unofficial trip to Columbus the weekend of March 30th.

London Merritt develops close relationship with Larry Johnson

According to Merritt, his recruitment “blew up” after his sophomore season at Woodard where he recorded 33 tackles, six tackles-for-loss and nine sacks, per MaxPreps. Ohio State's offer came shortly after, which sparked a relationship between him and Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

“Like Chase Young, Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa, he made them superstars,” Merritt said. “They took everything that coach Johnson gave them and they still use them to this day.”

Merritt describes himself as a “very versatile player” who can play defensive end, defensive tackle and linebacker helped by past training as a running back.

But Ohio State is not the only school left for Merritt to consider. He said schools such as Southern California, Alabama, Oregon, Florida, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M have been involved in his recruitment and are encouraging him to visit.

Many recruiting websites have Merritt projected to join Ohio State’s 2025 class. The Buckeyes already have a 2025 defensive end commitment in four-star Zahir Mathis.

As his recruitment continues, Merritt said he is focused on three things: his relationship with his future position coach, head coach and coaching staff; finding a program that will prepare him for the NFL and develop him as a person; and a good business or finance school to join.

Merritt said he does not have an exact timeline for making a decision, but he hopes to make his choice before his season starts at IMG.

Johnson, according to Merritt, is trying to help Merritt make up his mind, by remaining in his ear about why Ohio State would be the best fit for him and his future.

“He definitely encourages me to keep working, stay humble and don’t work myself out, meaning don’t overdo everything, you know, because I still have a long journey ahead of me,” Merritt said. “And then by the time, if I were to go to Ohio State, he’s going to coach me up and teach me all the things that he taught the greats.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State makes impact on 2025 DE London Merritt recruitment