Hodgson, Rutgers football standout Jamil Merrell dies at age 36

In his final moments of life, Jamil Merrell wrote a letter to the members of the Red Lion Christian football team he planned to guide through the fall as defensive coordinator.

“Most importantly, love this game with everything you have,” Merrell wrote. “Because life can change in an instant, and opportunities are never promised tomorrow. Cherish every practice, every game, every teammate, every laugh, and every memory you make together.”

Few cherished the game of football like Merrell, who impacted countless athletes across Delaware as a coach and personal trainer over the past decade. He demanded the best of others while leaning on the experience gained from a standout playing career at Hodgson and Rutgers.

“He loved with his whole heart,” his twin brother, Jamal, wrote. “He kept it real no matter who you were. He would give you the shirt off his back, tell you the truth even when it was hard to hear, and stand beside the people he loved no matter what. He didn’t just live life, he poured every ounce of himself into it.”

“You meet very few people in your life that are just pure meat on the bone,” Red Lion Christian football head coach Ken Anderson said. “Just an expert in his craft and how he communicated that to the kids, with love but with discipline.”

At Hodgson, Jamil and Jamal led the Silver Eagles to their first football state championship, defeating Caravel 24-16 for the Division II title in 2007. Hodgson finished 13-0. Jamil was picked as the Delaware Lineman of the Year, in addition to garnering first team All-State honors at defensive end and tight end. Jamal was a first team defensive back and second team wide receiver.

The following year, as a senior, Jamil repeated as a first team defensive end and earned second-team honors at tight end as Hodgson finished 7-3. He was named the top lineman of the Blue-Gold All-Star Game, won by the northern Blue team 12-0.

Dave Collins, Hodgson’s current football head coach and athletic director, was special teams coordinator when the Merrells entered Hodgson then became offensive coordinator in 2006. He has also worked with the team’s defensive linemen throughout most of his coaching career.

As Hodgson pushed toward a state championship, there were times the coaching staff had to pull Jamil from practice to give the offense a chance to get going.

“He was shutting down the whole offense himself,” Collins said.

He cracked several helmets, his own and others, in games and in practices. His energy was “contagious,” Collins said.

“Jamil was the most tenacious, intense, hard-working player to come through our program,” said Collins, who under head coach Frank Moffett Jr., also won D-II titles in 2013 and 2014 and the Division I title in 2019. “He was an alpha.”

Collins still remembers the first play from scrimmage in the 2007 D-II title game against Caravel. The Buccaneers broke a sweep down the sideline opposite Jamil. The running back had a clear lane for an 80-yard touchdown. Jamil crossed the field and tracked him down. The Silver Eagles held Caravel scoreless on the possession.

“Just that one single play demonstrates the kind of effort he brought on the field,” Collins said.

As college recruiting began, Jamil and Jamal decided they would go to the same school. From more than a dozen scholarship offers, they picked Rutgers. Recruiting coordinator Joe Susan went to every Hodgson game their senior year. The Merrells headed to New Brunswick, New Jersey, along with Middletown standout and future NFL safety Duron Harmon.

Jamal and Jamil got their first extended run as sophomores in 2011. The Scarlet Knights finished 9-4 and won the Pinstripe Bowl over Iowa State at Yankee Stadium.

As seniors, Jamal and Jamil were elected team captains by their teammates. They were the second brother duo and the first in 120 years to captain the Rutgers football team.

Rutgers went 15-11 over the final two seasons of their college careers. Jamil appeared in 34 career games with 18 starts and amassed 81 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

Both undrafted in 2014, Jamil signed with the Chicago Bears and Jamal signed with the Tennessee Titans.

The Bears added Jamil to their practice squad in November of that year. He later appeared in the Arena Football League.

When Anderson became Red Lion’s head coach in 2018, his first call outside his family was to Jamil. They had met a few years earlier. Anderson described Jamil as a “great physical specimen” and himself at the time as an “old fat guy.”

“We were kind of like the odd couple,” he said. “We meshed right away. It was a real good bond.”

Jamil coached four seasons at Red Lion. He helped lay the foundation for Red Lion’s first football state championship last year. Red Lion defeated Indian River 22-21 in double overtime to win the Class 2A title.

Jamil was excited to return to the team as defensive coordinator in February – the last six months have been “filled with football,” Anderson said.

He traveled with Red Lion to Penn State, where in a 7-on-7 tournament Red Lion went 6-0 to win its bracket. He also with the team returned to Rutgers.

“Seeing him at Rutgers, it was kind of exhilarating,” Anderson said. “All of the coaches hugged him. … He was just the man up there.”

In addition to coaching at Red Lion, Jamil trained athletes in football and other sports from Delaware and nearby areas. A mantra became his training brand, “It’s just work.”

The most prominent athlete Jamil worked with was Bilal Nichols, an eight-year NFL veteran defensive tackle who attended Hodgson and the University of Delaware.

In an Instagram post, Nichols wrote, “He was my brother, family, best friend and Trainer. And by far the most loyal person I knew! He always kept it real with me and was gone for sure tell me what I needed to hear. He poured so much of himself into me and others. I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career and life without you bro!”

“I always felt like I could do anything in the world because I always knew you had my back.”

Jamal said that in his final moments, Jamil told his family, “It’s time for me to level up, and everything down here for me is complete.”

“I love you more than these words could ever express, and a part of me will always be missing until we’re together again,” Jamal wrote.

Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Hodgson, Rutgers football standout Jamil Merrell dies at age 36