Q&A with recently offered Class of 2025 four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt

Florida State recently extended an offer to Class of 2025 four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt from Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, Kansas on Wednesday afternoon. We at ChopChat decided to conduct a Q&A with the talented linebacker prospect.

Q: What was it like receiving an offer from Florida State?

A: "It was a great feeling! It was really nice to know that they value me as a player and obviously it means a little more when it comes from such a successful football school like FSU."

Q: How has your relationship been like with linebackers coach Randy Shannon? Any other coaches that you have communicated with?

A: "I actually have never talked to Coach Shannon. I've only communicated with Coach JP (John Papuchis)."

Q: Do you have plans to visit the Seminoles at this time?

A: "I'm planning on starting to narrow this thing down when it calms down a little bit, but for now, I'm not sure where I will be. I'm definitely excited about Florida State and do really want to be able to visit though!"

Q: As you navigate through your recruitment, what are some important factors when choosing the school you want to commit to?

A: I would say stability in a program, which shows me from the outside looking in a little bit about the culture of the school. Another thing is a winning program, I definitely want to play for a team that is going to win games. And the last thing is that I want to play for a coach who can develop me as not only a great football player but a great man as well."

Q: When evaluating your play style, who is someone that you model your game after?

A: "I would say the best part of my game is versatility so I feel like I really like Micah Parsons' game as well as Kyle Hamilton's."

We appreciate Dawson for taking the time out of his day to answer our questions. Be sure to follow his Twitter (X) account here.