2024 three-star athlete Jaheim Merriweather commits to Purdue
Purdue added to their class of 2024 recruiting haul on Friday afternoon as Jaheim Merriweather announced his commitment to the Boilermakers via Twitter.
Merriweather becomes the first running back in Purdue's 2024 recruiting class and the seventh recruit overall, joining Jesse Watson, D'Mon Marable, Jaden Ball, Marcos Davila, Jordan King, and Hudauri Hines. He also joins Marable as the other commit from Tennessee in the class thus far.
The three-star athlete is rated as the 19th-best prospect in Tennessee and the 53rd-best player in the country at his position. Merriweather chose the Boilermakers over offers from Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, and others.
Merriweather was on campus as recently as early March for an unofficial visit and took other visits to Louisville, Arkansas, and West Virginia in 2023.
The 6'2", 200-pound athlete plays both running back and defensive back for Gallatin High School but is expected to join Lamar Conard's group in the backfield when he gets to campus in 2024.
In an interview with Rivals' Sean Williams, Merriweather spoke about his relationship with Conard. You can read that story here.
"Me and Coach Conard have a close relationship," Merriweather noted. "He always keeps it real with me. He's texted me almost every day since my 10th grade year to check on me and my family. He calls and checks on my Mom. He's like a father figure."
As a junior at Gallatin, Merriweather rushed for over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding a kick return for a touchdown and two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.
The future Boilermaker is a shifty back that can break off a big run on any play. While he uses his electric speed to his advantage, Merriweather doesn't shy away from contact and runs between the tackles in Gallatin's run-heavy offense.
Lamar Conard landed his first 2024 running back for the Boilermakers, who has the tools to get on the field early in West Lafayette.