Austin Peay State University Athletics

Awards and Honors:
Athletics Director's Honor Roll (S25)

Prior to Austin Peay: Began his career at Tennessee (2021-22) before transferring to Wake Forest (2023-24). 2024: Played in the first four games of the season in his senior season at Wake Forest… Had two catches for 26 yards against North Carolina A&T (Aug. 29)… Added two catches for 21 yards against Ole Miss (Sept. 14)… Tallied a season-best five catches for 30 yards against Louisiana (Sept. 18)… Finished the season with nine receptions for 77 yards. 2023: Played in six games for the Deamon Deacons during his junior season… Did not record any statistics. 2022: Played in all 13 games as a sophomore, helping Tennessee go 11-2 overall with a win over No. 7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl… Had two catches for 21 yards with a 16-yard touchdown reception – his first collegiate touchdown – in the season opener against Ball State (Sept. 1)… Added two catches for a career-high 46 yards with a 38-yard touchdown catch against Akron (Sept. 17)… Posted two catches for 41 yards against UT Martin (Oct. 22)… Recorded a seven-yard touchdown reception at Vanderbilt (Nov. 26)… Finished the season with eight catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns. 2021: Played in 10 games as a true freshman for the Volunteers… Made his first career start and had four catches for 40 yards against Tennessee Tech (Sept. 18)… Added one catch for 12 yards against Ole Miss (Oct. 16)… Finished the season with five catches for 52 yards.

High School: Played wide receiver for head coach Ron Crawford at Brentwood High School… Set Brentwood records for single-game receptions (16), single-game receiving yards (206), and single-season receptions (100) during his senior season in 2020… Also totaled 1,173 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions as a senior to lead the Bruins to the Tennessee Class 6A State Championship Game… Named a 6-6A All-Region selection and was a First Team selection on The Tennessean 2020 All-Midstate Team as a senior… Had 62 catches for 568 yards as a junior, leading the Bruins to a Class 6A Region 6 Championship and the quarterfinals of the state playoffs… Named a 6-6A All-Region selection and was a Third Team selection on The Tennessean 2019 All-Midstate Team… Rated a four-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN and a three-star by 247Sports.com… Ranked the No. 9 player in Tennessee and the No. 57 wide receiver in the country by the 247Sports.com Composite.

Personal: Robert Walker Merrill is the son of Brian and Kristin Merrill… Birthday is July 12... Has three siblings: Davis, Clayton, and Jones...  Brother, Clayton, is a freshman wide receiver on the Governors football team... Graduated from Wake Forest in Dec. 2024 with a bachelor’s in communications... Pursuing a master’s in business administration.