Clemson Tigers Secure Visit with Colorado Edge Rusher

The Clemson Tigers have replenished their defensive needs through the transfer portal, and they welcome another that could aid their line.

Colorado edge rusher London Merritt is on campus on Wednesday, according to CBS Sports insider Chris Hummer. Merritt is a true freshman that was highly-touted coming out of high school. He would have three years of eligibility remaining.

Colorado freshman edge London Merritt is visiting Clemson today coming off a trip to Vanderbilt, a source tells @CBSSports.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge posted 25 tackles, 8 TFLs and 1 sack this season. Was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class. https://t.co/KjNdId734g pic.twitter.com/KIIMWr3qrN
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 7, 2026

Merritt was on a visit at Vanderbilt yesterday, going from Nashville to the Upstate for this visit. He brings game-ready talent off the edge, something that head coach Dabo Swinney needs after the departure of standout T.J. Parker, who entered the 2026 NFL Draft.

At Colorado, Merritt finished with 25 tackles, 14 being solo and recorded a sack this season. He also had eight tackles for a loss, which is second most by a freshman in the Big 12 and fourth in the country for true freshmen, according to PFF.

The numbers allowed the freshman to earn himself an All Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Honorable Mention, also seeing his name on a few All-Freshman teams at the end of this season.

Coming out of high school, the IMG Academy product was a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite. The Atlanta, Georgia, native was the No. 17 edge rusher in the class of 2025, being the No. 32 recruit from the state of Florida. Clemson gave him an offer, though he never visited.

Merritt flipped his commitment also, going from Ohio State to the Buffaloes after pulling his commitment from the Buckeyes in late November. This was due to Colorado head coach Deion Sanders’s push to have one of the top recruiting classes, though the program’s 3-9 record help lead to the transfer.

Swinney’s efforts on defense through the portal have been a great effort, having five commitments in three days. However, it has been mainly in the secondary, meaning Clemson will shift its focus to the defensive line after filling the defensive backs room with the likes of Elliot Washington II, Donovan Starr, Jerome Carter III and Corey Myrick.

While defensive tackle has been the position of interest on the defensive line, Merritt is one of the first edge rushers to lock in a visit to Clemson, to the knowledge of Clemson Tigers on SI.

Follow along with our transfer portal tracker to see if Merritt comes to the program, as well as other commitments and departures that may occur over the upcoming week.