Four-star offensive line prospect Tyler Merrill has narrowed his search down to five schools and will announce his decision tomorrow, January 30th, according to Steve Wiltfong of On3. Including Wisconsin, his other finalists are Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Penn State.
Merrill is 6-5, a 338-pound player out of Pennsylvania, and is the No. 13 offensive lineman in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. He visited Wisconsin over the summer and recently hosted offensive line coach AJ Blazek for a school visit as well.
🚨NEWS🚨 2026 4-star IOL Tyler Merrill will announce his commitment on January 30, @SWiltfong_ reports.
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 29, 2025
Merrill will pick between Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Wisconsin on the On3 Recruits YouTube channel‼️
Read: https://t.co/eXqQ1zsBHg pic.twitter.com/EOfCUfaAmn
Four-star recruit Tyler Merrill could be one of Wisconsin's next great lineman
Merrill would be just the second commit of the 2026 class, joining fellow offensive lineman Benjamin Novak. Quarterback Jarin Mock, who had also committed to the Badgers, had his offer rescinded under the new offensive regime which is why there is currently only one player in the 2026 class. Merrill can play guard or tackle and would be a valuable chess piece in the Badger offense. He listed Wisconsin's strong offensive line history as one of his big factors.
"Arguably O-Line U," Merrill told On3. "A lot of greats come out of there in the O-Line community. Coach Blazek is an awesome guy.”
Notre Dame appears to have the upper hand according to On3's prediction model, but anything can happen in recruiting. He would be a huge boost to an offensive line set to lose key contributors like Riley Mahlman and Jake Renfro after this next season. Luke Fickell and the Badgers will find out tomorrow if Merrill is taking his talents to Madison.