‘Faith’ from coach buoys Merriweather
SOUTH BEND — The progress of Notre Dame football wide receiver Tobias Merriweather is better measured by what is left unsaid these days from position coach Chansi Stuckey than any rave that could be conjured.
“It’s been a lot different than last year,” the sophomore wideout said after Friday’s practice. “Last year he was really on me because I didn’t know what I was doing a lot of times.”
Among those was the sideline moment against UNLV when TV cameras showed Stuckey shaking his head in apparent disgust after Merriweather failed to line up properly and was yanked off the field. There were plenty of other such growth moments in 2022 for the four-star prize from West Camas, Wash.
“(Stuckey) was making sure: ‘You know this? You know this?’ “Merriweather said. “And every time I messed up, he was like, ‘Here.’ On it, on it, on it. But now when I mess up, he gives me that look like, ‘You know what you did. Fix it. Don’t do it again.’ “
Based on how often he’s been repping with the first string this camp, Merriweather must not be repeating those mistakes very often.
“It’s been a lot different,” the 6foot-4, 205-pounder said. “(Stuckey) has a lot of faith in me. He wants me to be great. He wants all of us to be great.”
Having added 30 pounds of muscle since enrolling 14 months ago, fresh off a state track championship and a proper sendoff for father Dom Merriweather’s coaching retirement, the high riser with the high ceiling seems ready to fulfill the relentless hype.
Wake Forest grad transfer Sam Hartman playing quarterback doesn’t hurt either.
“Sam is one of the best quarterbacks who ever stepped foot on a college football field,” Merriweather said. “We’re just trying to make that No. 1 connection, that trust that the ball is going up in the air, it’s coming down in ‘5’s hands.”
He doesn’t mean cornerback Cam Hart, who wears that number on defense. Merriweather, who switched from No. 15 to his preferred jersey number in the spring, is brimming with confidence.
Could this be the fall that “5 Leaf Clover,” the hit song from his favorite country music artist, Luke Combs, becomes the soundtrack of Merriweather’s highlight reel?
“I don’t have any number goals,” he said. “I just want to play — play free and not lock myself down to being anyone I’m not.”