Commanders coach says he 'wouldn't have done' what Jacory Croskey-Merritt did in college
originally appeared on The Sporting News

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, affectionately known as Bill, has captured the imagination of Washington Commanders fans during his first NFL preseason.

The rookie running back has also amazed the coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury spoke to reporters this week, and he basically said, nope, he wouldn't have done what JCM did in college.

But no, it wasn't a bad thing.

Croskey-Merritt grinded through his last college season while only playing in one game.

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The speedy RB looked to transfer away from New Mexico to a bigger program for his final college season in 2024.

He originally chose Arizona, changed his mind to Ole Miss, and changed it back to Arizona. 

The NCAA issue stemmed from his 2019 redshirt season at Alabama State. That year, a different player appeared in a game in JCM's No. 21, which caused the NCAA to rule he didn't have full eligibility for the 2024 season because it had already been "used" in 2019, even though it wasn't actually him out on the field.

Croskey-Merritt only got to play in one game for the Wildcats in 2024, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown. He then played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he had 97 yards and two touchdowns.

This is what Kingsbury had to say about that:

“To stay at Arizona and just rep on practice squad every day when you're in college, I wouldn't have done that. I would've got a job or done something else. I don't like football as much as he does apparently.”

It's not certain yet what kind of role Croskey-Merritt will have to begin his rookie season, even though there's a lot of hype around the seventh-rounder. But it's clear he's worked hard to get here.

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