London Merritt didn’t take long to make an impression in Boulder. As a true freshman, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from IMG Academy carved out a meaningful role on Colorado’s defense by season’s end. Now, just as quickly as he emerged, he’s on his way out.
Merritt is the latest Buffalo to announce his intention to enter the transfer portal, joining a growing list of players looking for a fresh start elsewhere. The portal officially opens Friday, but the exodus from Colorado is already well underway.
After a quiet start to his college career-logging limited snaps in the first three games-Merritt worked his way into the rotation and made his presence felt down the stretch. He wrapped up his freshman campaign with 24 total tackles and a sack, but the raw numbers only tell part of the story.
His eight tackles for loss ranked second on the team, and he added five quarterback hurries, good for fourth. That kind of backfield disruption from a first-year player is no small feat, especially in a Power Five conference.
Merritt’s departure is part of a broader wave of turnover within the Colorado program. So far, 23 scholarship players have declared their intent to transfer-before the portal has even officially opened. And that doesn’t include midseason exits like safety Terrance Love and cornerback Kyle Carpenter, who left the team earlier in the year.
For context, Merritt was one of 15 high school signees in Colorado’s 2025 recruiting class. He’s now the ninth from that group to leave the program.
Losing a young, ascending talent like Merritt stings. He was the kind of player you could envision becoming a cornerstone of the defense in years to come-strong, explosive off the edge, and already flashing the ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. But in today’s college football landscape, roster fluidity is the new norm, and programs across the country are constantly adjusting on the fly.
As the portal opens and the offseason reshuffling begins in earnest, Colorado will have some big holes to fill-not just in numbers, but in potential. Merritt’s departure underscores that challenge.