Kolby Merritt, a senior at Fayetteville State University, is a standout safety on the football team. Born on December 26, 2000, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kolby attended Vance High School, where he excelled in both football and track & field, holding the school record in the triple jump. At FSU, he has earned numerous accolades, including 2023 First Team All-Conference and being listed among the top 20 D2 safeties in the country. Kolby is majoring in Sports Management and aims to continue playing football professionally to support his family. Post-football, he plans to become an athletic trainer. His hidden talent is drawing, and he enjoys working out and playing video games in his free time. Kolby credits his father and brother as the most influential people in his life, pushing him to be a better player and person. His most memorable sports experience is winning the 2022 CIAA championship. Kolby chose FSU because it gave him a chance out of high school, and he has fully embraced the program to become a better player and teammate.
Over the course of three seasons, Kolby Merritt demonstrated significant improvement in their defensive performance. In 2021, he played 8 games, recording 11 solo tackles and 9 assisted tackles, totaling 20 tackles. By 2022, their performance had markedly improved, with 33 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles in 11 games, totaling 52 tackles, along with 7 tackles for loss (TFL) for 19 yards and 0.5 sacks for 3 yards. The 2023 season saw further enhancement, with Merritt achieving 43 solo tackles and 20 assisted tackles in 11 games, totaling 63 tackles, 6 TFL for 27 yards, and 2 sacks for 11 yards. Over the three seasons, Kolby accumulated 87 solo tackles, 48 assisted tackles, 135 total tackles, 13 TFL for 46 yards, 2.5 sacks for 14 yards, 3 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles.
