| Emmett Merchant |
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 | Class:
Junior
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| Hometown:
Riverdale, Ga.
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| High School:
Riverdale
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| Height / Weight:
5-9 / 186
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| Position:
S
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| Experience:
*
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>> At Navy: Returned to the team after sitting out spring practice ... his return gives Navy an immediate boost in the secondary ... not listed on the depth chart heading into the fall because he missed spring practice, but is expected to make a quick jump up the chart once fall practice starts ... expected to team up with Wyatt Middleton to give Navy one of its best safety combinations in the last 20 years ... extremely athletic ... has good hands ... does a good job of making a break on the ball once it is in the air ... has earned one varsity letter.
>> 2008: Played in all 13 games for the Midshipmen, earning starts in three contests ... was in on 41 tackles, including one tackle for a loss of two yards ... picked off a pair of passes, returning them for a combined 41 yards ... also recovered two fumbles for the Mids ... tried his hand at returning kickoffs, returned four for 87 yards (21.8 yds/gm) ... turned in three tackles against Wake Forest in the EagleBank Bowl ... after earning the start at rover, suffered a concussion early on against Army which sidelined him for the remainder of the game ... turned in five tackles, including four solo stops, in Navy's 16-0 win over Northern Illinois ... it's the first shutout Navy's defense has pitched since Sept. 18, 2004, when the Mids beat Tulsa on the road, 29-0 ... it was the first time the Huskies have been shut out since 1999 against Iowa (24-0) ... picked off NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish in the third quarter and returned it 29 yards ... was in on three stops against Notre Dame ... turned in a pair of tackles in Navy's come-from-behind victory over Temple on Senior Day ... playing the rover position in the nickel defense, he made three tackles against SMU ... made his first collegiate start in the Mids win over the Mustangs ... the defense held SMU to -13 yards rushing, the first team to post negative rushing yards against the Mids since Pitt in 1978 ... it also held the Mustangs to eight first downs, marking the first time a Navy opponent was held to 10 or fewer first downs since 1999 when Rutgers mustered 10 ... assisted on a pair of stops against 23rd-ranked Pitt on Homecoming ... made four tackles, including a tackle for a loss of four yards against Air Force ... came up with a huge interception with 5:11 to go in the game that set up the game-winning TD run by Jarod Bryant in the Mids' 24-17 win over Wake Forest ... it was the first interception of his career ... also pitched in five tackles ... played a solid game against Rutgers where he made a career-high six stops ... he also broke up a Mike Teel pass ... for the second-consecutive game, came up with a key fumble recovery, this time it interrupted a Rutgers drive that was inside the Navy five-yard line ... produced a three tackles at Duke ... recovered a bobbled Blue Devil punt return, marking his first collegiate fumble recovery ... returned three kickoffs for 59 yards, including a long return of 25 yards at Ball State ... added a pair of tackles ... turned in a career-high three tackles in the Mids' season-opener against Towson ... returned one kickoff for 28 yards.
>> 2007: Played in 12 games ... recorded 11 tackles, one for a loss, on the year ... also returned two kickoffs for a total of 87 yards ... made his collegiate debut in Navy's win over Temple to start the year ... returned a kickoff 57 yards in the fourth quarter at Rutgers ... provided a tackle on special teams against Ball State ... assisted on two tackles during kickoff coverage against Duke ... came up with two stops on kickoff coverage at Pittsburgh ... made two solo tackles against Wake Forest in the first quarter on kickoff coverage ... at Notre Dame on the two-point conversion stop in the third-overtime session, he assisted on the tackle ... also made a tackle earlier in the third overtime defensive series ... produced two stops, one for a loss of four yards, at North Texas ... also brought back one kickoff 30 yards against the Mean Green ... came up with a special teams tackle against Army.
>> High School / Personal: A 2006 graduate of Riverdale High School, Merchant attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2006-07 academic year ... earned two letters playing both cornerback and running back ... father, Emmett Sr., played football at Georgia Tech (1988-91) ... full name is Emmett Anthony Merchant Jr. ... born June 7, 1988, in Palsboro, N.J. ... son of Emmett Merchant Sr. and Jennifer White ... majoring in Economics.
