STATESBORO - Matt Merritt, who has over a decade of experience coaching running backs at the collegiate level, has been named to the same role for the Georgia Southern football program as announced Thursday by head coach Clay Helton. Merritt comes to Statesboro after serving as a senior offensive analyst for the University of Tennessee's football program.

Tennessee earned a berth in the Music City Bowl and posted a four-win improvement over 2020. Working with the UT offense, the Volunteers stand third in the SEC in total offense this season and second in scoring average. The Vols' running game averaged over 218 yards per game, a nearly 90-yard per game improvement from the season before his arrival.

"It is an honor to have the opportunity to introduce Matt Merritt as our new Running Backs Coach," Helton said. "Matt has an impressive resume that includes opportunities in the Big Ten at Ohio State as well as being a part of SEC this season at Tennessee. Wherever Matt has been, there has been elite offensive production. At James Madison, he led a running back unit that put up over 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns in a season. This year's Tennessee offense finished as one of the top offensive units in the country. His talent as a recruiter really made him the complete package for us as a position coach. I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence of the running back position under Matt's leadership."

"I am both thankful and thrilled for this opportunity to join Coach Helton's staff and Eagle Nation," Merritt said. "Georgia Southern's rich tradition, history and passionate fan base are second to none in college athletics. I cannot wait to arrive in Statesboro and continue to build upon the culture of a physical and explosive run game. Eagle Nation, let's GATA!"

Merritt coached the 2019 season at James Madison, where he placed two running backs on the All-CAA Team, with one earning All-America honors. Percy Agyei-Obese was a Third-Team HERO Sports All-American and First-Team All-CAA selection after rushing for over 1,200 yards and leading the league in rushing touchdowns. Jawon Hamilton was also a Third-Team All-CAA honoree.

JMU's rushing attack ranked 10th nationally and first in the CAA (242.9). Primarily a three- or four-running back rotation, JMU's backs combined for 3,224 rushing yards and 39 total touchdowns, 35 coming on the ground. Agyei-Obese turned in the seventh-best rushing performance in JMU single-season history with 1,216 yards to go with 19 rushing scores, which was third in JMU single-season history. Hamilton also neared the 1,000-yard mark, finishing the season with 919 yards on the ground.

The NCAA FCS level moved its 2020 season to the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19; thus, JMU did not play in the fall. Merritt left JMU and was scheduled to be the running backs coach for UCF, but after Josh Heupel left the Knights for Tennessee, that position was no longer available. While he would have been a full-time assistant on Heupel's UCF staff, Merritt agreed to become the senior offensive analyst at Tennessee on Heupel's new staff for the 2021 season.

Merritt went to JMU after spending the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Elon, where he coached the running backs and special teams. In his two years with the Phoenix, the program saw a drastic improvement in the run game, leading the CAA in the 2018 regular season and second overall, at just under 200 yards per game.

Led by CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year Jaylan Thomas and two-time All-CAA selection Malcolm Summers, the Phoenix backs combined to rush for more than 3,800 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns in Merritt's two seasons guiding the group.

Elon ranked second in the CAA in rushing during the 2018 season at 199.5 yards per game. That was a 35 yards per game improvement from the 2017 season, in which the Phoenix rushed for 164.5 yards per game, which was almost 40 yards better than the year before Merritt's hire.

Thomas was the league's top offensive rookie threat in 2018, ranking second in the CAA at 95.1 rushing yards per game. He also scored four rushing touchdowns while leading the league with 6.6 yards per carry. He tallied 761 rushing yards in just eight games of action. Summers had been leading the league in rushing yards per game before an injury in the fifth game of the season, accruing nearly 600 rushing yards and three touchdowns in just five games. That included a 185-yard performance in Elon's first win ever against JMU.

In 2017, Summers rushed for over 750 yards and four scores in only six games, leading the CAA and country in rushing yards before a season-ending injury midway through the campaign. Summers, along with De'Sean McNair and Brelynd Cyphers, combined for almost 1,900 yards and 14 scores to help the Phoenix reach the FCS playoffs after finishing second in the CAA.

Before arriving at Elon, Merritt spent one season as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Division II school Ohio Dominican. ODU rushed for 1,398 yards and 16 scores, as four backs ran for at least 260 yards in 2016.

Before Ohio Dominican, Merritt was an assistant running backs coach and offensive graduate assistant at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015. During Merritt's time at OSU, the Buckeyes won the 2015 national championship, the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, and a Big Ten championship. They also made an appearance in the 2014 Orange Bowl.

While at OSU, he helped coach wide receivers, running backs, special teams, and the defensive scout team. He played a role in the development of Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel while with the Buckeyes, in addition to coaching Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller.

Before heading to Ohio State, Merritt spent two years as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at St. Charles Preparatory (2011-12). He also spent a year and a half as a graduate assistant coach at Capital University, where he played running back and wide receiver.

Merritt had 542 rushing yards as a collegian, aiding in Capital's 2007 playoff berth. He tallied 1,099 career rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and helped Capital make a pair of Division III playoff appearances.

Merritt earned his bachelor's degree in education from Capital in 2010 before picking up a master's in sport management from Ohio State and coaching education from Ohio University, both in 2016.

He is married to the former Brittanie Duty. The couple has a son, Mathew Daniel Merritt II.