The Dudes Strike Back 2016: Better Know #94 Noa Merritt

Name: Noa Merritt

Position: Defensive Tackle

Number: #94

Year: Junior

Height: 6-foot-0

Weight: 268 lbs.

Hometown: Sparta, NJ

High School: Pope John XXIII

2013 Stats (HS): Earned MSG First-Team All-State honors in 2013. Tallied first-team all-West Jersey honors twice. Garnered second-team All-Non-Public accolades in 2013 and was named to the third team in 2012. Tallied 78 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss and 15 sacks as a senior in 2013 and recorded 33 tackles, seven sacks and one recovered fumble in 2012.

2014 Stats: Played 25 snaps in 8 games, mostly as a backup to starting tackles Truman Gutapfel and Connor Wujciak.

2015 Stats: Played in one game the entire season (against Howard).

2016 Projections: I found it odd that a player who was a staple up the middle in 2014 didn’t see much time last year. Looked over the media guide and he wasn’t listed as an injury, so not sure why he didn’t play. Will have to earn his way back into the rotation in 2016.

How'd He Get Here: A two-star recruit out of Pope John XXIII in New Jersey, Merritt committed to the Eagles over claimed offers from Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.

Twitter Feed: You can follow Noa on Twitter @dasheett.

Tweetable: (He gets all meta on the entire Twitter universe)

Uniform History: Any discussion of the #94 jersey in Eagles football lore starts with All-American defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (2002-05) and continues on with 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Ewing's Sarcoma nightmare fuelMark Herzlich (2006-08, 10). Bob Moore, a defensive tackle from Medford, MA, was a four-year letterwinner for the Eagles, captaining the team during his senior season (1977).

Linkage:

Know A Dude 2015: #94 Noa Merritt (BC Interruption)

Know A Dude 2014: #94 Defensive Tackle Noa Merritt (BC Interruption)

Boston College Football Recruiting: Tre Tarpley, Noa Merritt Commit To The Eagles (BC Interruption)

Noa Merritt of Pope John signs to play football at Boston College on National Signing Day (nj.com)

Boston College Football Recruiting: Former Western Michigan Commit Noa Merritt Visits Heights (BC Interruption)

Highlights: Here's a look at Merritt coming out of high school: