Longtime pro and college football scout Bobby Merritt joined Nevada as the program’s General Manager in 2025.
As the Wolf Pack GM, Merritt will evaluate all aspects of the construction of Nevada’s roster, including development, evaluation, revenue-sharing, and the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) realm.
Merritt reunites with Jeff Choate in Reno after both served on the Texas staff from 2022-23. He most recently served as Rice’s Executive Director of Scouting in 2024. Prior to his season at Rice, Merritt spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as Director of Scouting at Texas, coordinating the evaluation of prospects at both the high school and collegiate level, in addition to scouting of opponents and reviews of the Longhorns each week.
Head Coach Jeff Choate on Merritt:
“I feel like this is a home run hire for us. Bobby is a guy who’s got NFL and CFL front-office experience and has worked in the NIL and salary cap world, both at Texas, and most recently at Rice. To have a guy with his level of experience, who understands how a cap operates, and is an exceptional evaluator of talent is a ‘must-have’ in modern football. You have to have someone who’s focused on retention, roster development, roster management, managing your cap number, whatever that number may be, with revenue-sharing and NIL, so we’re excited to have Bobby on board.”
Merritt owns an impressive scouting and player personnel resume, with nearly two decades of service at the professional level, including 15 in the NFL. After beginning his NFL scouting career with the Detroit Lions from 2003-07, he joined the Houston Texans (2007-15), where, as lead scout, he played a key role in the Texans’ drafting J.J. Watt with the 11th overall pick in 2011.
“Joining this Nevada Football staff and team is an opportunity for me professionally to add value to a program eager for a return to prominence, while personally, doing it for a head coach that I have the utmost respect for as a man, coach and leader of men,” said Merritt. “The authenticity that Jeff lives and leads with is contagious and what I want to surround myself with. And it’s a bonus to be back around fellow staff members that I grew fond of while working together at Texas.”
The Bobby Merritt File
• 2024: Rice - General Manager – Rice
• 2022-23: Texas – Director of Scouting
• 2018-22: Edmonton (CFL) – Assistant General Manager, Director of Scouting
• 2017-18: Ottawa RedBlacks (CFL) – Regional Scout
• 2017: Houston – Director of Player Personnel
• 2015-16: Tennessee – Director of Recruiting
• 2007-15: Houston Texans (NFL) – Lead Scout
• 2003-07: Detroit Lions - Scout
A native of Temperance, Mich., Merritt played outside linebacker at Adrian College, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in December 1993. He served in the Air Force from February 1994 to April 1996.
Merritt was a graduate assistant football coach at Toledo in 1998 while earning a master's degree in liberal studies education. Prior to joining the Lions’ scouting department, Merritt coached at the University of Findlay, Bedford High School, New Jersey City University and Tiffin University from 1998-2002.
