Merlin Robertson Season 2019

FIFTH YEAR SENIOR (2022)

• Named a captain in the preseason while also finding his name on the Butkus Award Watch List and as an honorable mention linebacker by the Pac-12 Conference.
• Reached the 300 tackle mark for his career at Colorado (10/29/22). He has 49 career starts and his 320 career tackles are 18th among all FBS players and 16th among FBS linebackers.
• He has played 3,305 career snaps – most among active linebackers in the FBS and fourth-most of any active defensive player in the FBS.
• Started in 11 games this season. Recorded 83 tackles (third-most on team), and five tackles-for-loss (most on team).

 

Shout-out to junior LB Merlin Robertson on being named to the 2020 Butkus Award watch list!

Story: https://t.co/dDBvUCDHiz pic.twitter.com/luUv6pXzR0

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) July 20, 2020

SENIOR (2021)

• Named a captain in the preseason while also finding his name on the Butkus Award Watch List
• Named as an honorable mention linebacker by the Pac-12 Conference
• Tied for third on the team with 58 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions this season
• Among Pac-12 linebackers with 400+ snaps, Robertson was the sixth-highest graded one (65.9)
• According to Pro Football Focus, Robertson has been credited with just 24 missed tackles in his career, which is the second-fewest of any FBS linebacker with over 2000 snaps played over the last four seasons (USF's Dwayne Boyles on 23 on 2,121 snaps – over 300 fewer than Robertson)
• Has 37 starts in his career, playing in 40 games and collecting 230 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and six interceptions
• Has played 2,488 career snaps – the second-most of any returning linebacker in the FBS this season (Troy's Carlton Martial) and seventh most of any returning defensive player in the FBS

JUNIOR (2020)

• Second on the team with 20 tackles
• Enjoyed a great season opener against USC, collecting ten tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and an interception on his way to winning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week
• Came through with seven tackles and half a tackle for loss against UCLA
• Had a negative grade on just 11.0 percent of rushing defensive plays on the year
• His average depth of tackle was just 2.44 yards, seventh best in the league
• Was not credited with a missed tackle on the season

--Herm Edwards on Merlin Robertson: "He's playing free again" (by Trevor Booth, SunDevilSource.com/Feb. 25, 2020)

SOPHOMORE (2019)

• Robertson Named to Bronco Nagurski Award Preseason Watch List
• Robertson Selected to Preseason Bednarik Award Watch List
• Led Sun Devils with three fumbles forced in 2019 and was third on the team with 72 tackles, adding 5 TFL and an interception
• Credited with just 8 missed tackles last season, the second-fewest among Pac-12 linebackers on the year
• ASU finished the regular season 21^st nationally in allowing just 116.8 rushing yards per game – the best ranking at the end of the regular season for ASU since the 2009 Sun Devils were 19^th (108.58 rushing yards per game). ASU allowed 155 or fewer rushing yards in 11 of 12 regular season games last season, the first time in program history to accomplish the feat since regular seasons expanded to 12 games in the late 1990s

FRESHMAN (2018)

• Physically gifted prospect that made an immediate impact for the Sun Devils and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2018
• Merlin Robertson Named 2018 Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year
• Merlin Robertson Video (Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year)
• Led the team in tackles (77), tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.0) and added an interception, two breakups, a fumble forced and a fumble recovered. First freshman to lead the team in tackles since Jason Shivers in 2001 and the first freshman to lead the team in tackles for loss and sacks since Junior Onyeali in 2010
• Led all FBS freshmen (true or redshirt) with 35 defensive "stops" in 2018 – tied for 17th among all Pac-12 defensive players
• Also led Pac-12 freshmen (true or redshirt) with 27 total QB pressures  – second most among all freshmen in a Power Five conference. It was the 20th-most for any player in the Pac-12, regardless of year and second-most among all linebackers in the Pac-12
• Played on 749 snaps as a truth freshman, despite missing the bowl game and half a game Oregon - the eighth highest total among true freshmen in Power Five conference nationally
• Missed just eight tackles on the season, according to Pro Football Focus, tied for the fifth-fewest among linebackers in the Pac-12 and 33rd among all Power Five linebackers
• The fifth Sun Devil to earn a Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honor and the third to be named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. He joins Vontaze Burfict (2009) and Junior Onyeali (2010) as the third person to be distinguished as the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year
• Earned Freshman All-America honors from the FWAA, The Athletic and 247Sports
• Named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after Sept. 8 Michigan State win.

HIGH SCHOOL

• Consensus four-star prospect among all major recruiting services
• Tabbed as the No. 8 outside linebacker in the country by 24/7, the No. 11 linebacker by Rivals, and the No. 5 inside linebacker by ESPN
• Four-year starter at Junipero Serra High School
• Totaled 377 tackles, 54 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles during his varsity career
• Had a huge senior season, totaling 126 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two interceptions