It’s certainly been a year to remember for Emerson High School’s brilliant receiver Miguel Merrick. After collecting almost 2,600 total yards in offensive production, and scoring 17 touchdowns, including six on kick returns, leading the Bulldogs to the Group IV state finals, Merrick capped his great 2001 season with an appearance at the annual MSG Heisman Breakfast Monday at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan.
Merrick was named to the MSG Heisman All-Star team, along with 24 other top players in the New York metropolitan area. He was able to attend the annual breakfast, sponsored by MSG Network and the Downtown Athletic Club, to get a chance to meet the latest Heisman Trophy winner, Eric Crouch of Nebraska, as well as 10 other former Heisman Trophy winners.
Some of the legendary Heisman winners in attendance included the only two-time recipient Archie Griffin of Ohio State, as well as Paul Hornung (Notre Dame), John Cappelletti (Penn State), Gino Torretta (Miami) and Camden native Mike Rozier (Nebraska).
“It’s a great honor for me,” Merrick said after attending the breakfast with all the football elite. “I’m very happy that I was chosen and actually, I was shocked that I was selected for such an honor. I was just grateful to be there and I was taking it all in. And being able to meet Eric Crouch, who was such a likeable guy. I was just in awe the whole day and I was very impressed.”
Merrick had just returned from a recruiting trip to the University of Iowa, which was the first Division I school to offer Merrick a scholarship, but formerly only as a defensive back. Merrick came home from Ames last weekend, knowing full well that the Hawkeyes’ coaching staff now want Merrick at his true position – namely wide receiver.
“It was a great trip for me,” said Merrick, who considers Iowa to be the frontrunner right now, but has not issued a verbal commitment, as opposed to what it said in a local published report. “It’s also a great college town as well with a staff that really wants me. What more could I ask for? Right now, it’s wide open and I’ll look at other schools, but Iowa is far ahead of the rest and the others have some catching up to do.”
Merrick said that since his two stellar performances in the state playoffs, other Division I schools have taken notice, including North Carolina, Penn State and Cincinnati, all of which have given Merrick the opportunity to take a recruiting trip to visit the respective schools.
Rutgers has also shown interest, but the Scarlet Knights’ staff has set up a recruiting visit for Merrick on January 18.
“Most of the other schools bring the players in earlier,” Merrick said. “I’ll still take a visit to Rutgers, but it is a little late.”
Another Rutgers recruit who has already committed to the Scarlet Knights, namely Memorial’s Bryan Durango, also attended the annual Heisman breakfast. Durango attended because he was named the MSG Network Player of the Week earlier in the season.
“I thought the whole day was pretty cool,” Durango said. “It felt good to be in the same class with all that talent. My coach [Ed Sargent] was more impressed with the older Heisman winners. He kept saying, ‘Do you know who that is?’ I was happy to meet Crouch and actually be sitting next to the Heisman Trophy. I think this raised my dreams a little more.”
Durango is happy to be getting a chance to play at Rutgers.
“I think we’re really going to have a great team at Rutgers and I’m able to stay close to home, which was important for me,” Durango said. “There is no way I ever thought all of this was possible. I never thought I’d have my picture taken with the Heisman. I’ll take the picture and put it on my wall to keep forever. The football season ended on a good note because of this.”
Durango will now head to the track, where he will perform in both indoor and outdoor track and field.
As for Merrick, the sky’s the limit.
“I’m just happy that all these opportunities opened up for me,” Merrick said. “Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll get one of those [Heisman Trophies]. Then that would be like a dream come true.”