Kirk Merritt facts for kids
.jpg) |
|||||||
| No. 22 – Houston Roughnecks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back Wide receiver |
||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | January 5, 1997 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Destrehan (Destrehan, Louisiana) |
||||||
| College: | Oregon (2015) Texas A&M (2016) East Mississippi CC (2017) Arkansas State (2018–2019) |
||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Kirk Merritt (born January 5, 1997) is an American professional football player. He plays as a running back and wide receiver. Currently, he plays for the Houston Roughnecks in the United Football League (UFL). Before turning pro, he played college football at Arkansas State.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Kirk Merritt grew up in Destrehan, Louisiana. He went to Destrehan High School. In his senior year, he gained over 1,000 yards from rushing and receiving. He also scored 11 touchdowns. Merritt was considered a top recruit. He chose to play college football at the University of Oregon. He had offers from other big schools like Alabama and Texas A&M.
College Football Journey
Merritt started his college career at the University of Oregon. As a freshman, he played in 12 games for the Ducks. He caught five passes for 61 yards. He also rushed three times for 13 yards. After his first year, Merritt left the Oregon team.
He then transferred to Texas A&M. He could not play in the 2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Later, Merritt transferred to East Mississippi Community College. In his one season there, he caught 52 passes for 628 yards. He also scored four touchdowns. After that, he transferred to Arkansas State University. He played his final two years of college football there.
Merritt quickly became a key player for the Red Wolves. In 2018, he was named first-team All-Sun Belt Conference. He led the conference with 83 catches and 1,005 receiving yards. He also scored seven touchdowns that year. He earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors again in 2019. In that season, he had 70 catches for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Professional Football Career
Kirk Merritt joined the professional ranks in 2020.
Miami Dolphins Years
The Miami Dolphins signed Merritt as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2020. This means he was not chosen in the NFL Draft but was signed afterward. He was waived (released) by the team on September 4, 2020. However, he was signed to their practice squad two days later. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster.
He was moved to the active roster for a game on November 7, 2020. After the game, he returned to the practice squad. He was temporarily placed on the COVID-19 list in December 2020. He was back on the practice squad a few days later. He was again moved to the active roster for a game on December 31, 2020. After that game, he went back to the practice squad. On January 6, 2021, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins. This type of contract keeps a player with the team for the next season.
On August 31, 2021, the Dolphins waived Merritt again. He was re-signed to their practice squad the next day.
New Orleans Saints Time
On January 24, 2022, Merritt signed a reserve/future contract with the New Orleans Saints. He was waived on August 30, 2022. The next day, he signed with their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 23, 2022.
On September 19, 2023, the Saints waived Merritt. He was re-signed to their practice squad. On September 26, 2023, Merritt was released from the Saints' practice squad.
Houston Roughnecks
On January 26, 2024, Merritt signed with the Houston Roughnecks. This team is part of the United Football League (UFL). He joined them as a running back. He was placed on injured reserve on April 17, 2024. This means he was unable to play due to an injury. Merritt was activated (able to play again) on May 31, 2024. He re-signed with the team on August 19, 2024.
