Ellis Merriweather

Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics

Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics

Photo by: THOM KENDALL FOR UMASS ATHLETICS

Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics

Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics

Position:
Running Back
Height:
6-2
Weight:
227
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Alpharetta, Ga.
High School:
Alpharetta / Garden City College (Kan.)

2022 • Redshirt Senior

Merriweather played in 10 games in 2022, carrying the ball 150 times for 575 yards as the team's leading rusher and he also caught eight passes for 48 yards
Named to Phil Steele’s 2022 All-Independent Team as a Second Team RB
Had a season-high 122 rushing yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns at Arkansas State (11/12)
Closed out the season with 49 rushing yards on five carries and a 27-yard reception against Army before being forced out of the game with an injury
Merriweather finished his Massachusetts career with 10 100-yard rushing games and three two-touchdown games
Tallied 11 carries for 36 yards at Tulane (9/3)
Posted 54 yards rushing on 17 carries at Toledo (9/10)
Totaled 20 rushes for 77 yards in the win over Stony Brook (9/17)
Rushed for a team-high 53 yards at Temple (9/24) on eight attempts, including a 36-yard run, while also adding one catch
Missed the Eastern Michigan and Liberty games due to injury and then returned against Buffalo (10/15)
Posted his first touchdown of the season against the Bulls on a five-yard rush
Rushed for 84 yards against New Mexico State on 23 carries (10/29)
Had a season-high 122 rushing yards and added two rushing touchdowns at Arkansas State (11/12)
Posted the 122 yards against the Red Wolves on 29 carries for a 4.2 yards per carry average and he also caught a shovel pass to score a two-point conversion

2021 • Redshirt Junior

• Phil Steele All-Independent Second team honors
• 2x Captain, voted on by peers
• Was the Minutemen's first 1,000 yard rusher in the FBS era
• Finished season with 1,138 all-purpose yards, and six touchdowns
• Had 218 consecutive carries without any fumbles
• Led UMass to their first victory of the season, totaling a career-high in carries (39), for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
• Established a new school single-season record of seven games with 100 or more rushing yards, recording 749 yards in the last five games alone
• Had 81 all-purpose yards vs. Boston College (09/11), including a team-high 56 rushing yards on 11 attempts, including a 32-yard run and also caught two passes for 25 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown reception
• Posted first career 100+ yard rushing game with 142 yards on 23 carries vs. Eastern Michigan (09/18) and caught two passes for 20 yards
• Had six carries for 30 yards at No. 17 Coastal Carolina (09/25)
• Rushed for 11 yards on five carries vs. Toledo (10/02)
• Ran for 171 yards on 39 carries and scored two touchdowns vs. UConn (10/09)
• Had 66 all-purpose yards at Florida State (10/23), including 65-yards receiving on four catches
• Recorded a career best 39-yard rush at Liberty (10/30), running for a total of 149 yards on 24 carries
• Posted fourth 100+ yard game of the season with 118 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown vs. Rhode Island (11/06).
• Had a career-high 177 yards vs. Maine (11/13)
• Finished off a strong campaign with 176 yards, two touchdowns, and adding the longest touchdown of his career (79 yards) vs. New Mexico State (11/27), in their final game of the season

2020 • Junior

• Started at running back in three of the team's four games
• Ran the ball 42 times for 115 yards
• Also caught one pass totaling four yards
• Season-high 48 yards came on 11 carries at FAU (11/20)

Before Massachusetts

• Primarily played running back at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, for head coach Tom Minnick
• Dean's List honoree at GCCC
• Helped Garden City finish the 2019 season with an 8-3 overall record
• Totaled 513 rushing yards on 90 carries, including six for touchdowns, as a redshirt sophomore in 2019
• Also had five receptions for 71 yards in 2019
• Played in six games at Garden City in 2018 and recorded 327 yards on 69 carries and three touchdowns
• Was a member of the Garden City team that finished 10-1 overall and reached the NJCAA National Championship Game in 2018
• Attended Alpharetta High School in Alpharetta, Ga., prior to his tenure at Garden City; he set a single-game record in all-purpose yards
• Multi-position standout in high school who excelled at wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and free safety
• All-conference and all-county selection at Alpharetta
• Also a star on the Alpharetta High School basketball team, drawing interest from Rutgers, Georgia Southern, and Navy

Personal

• Son of Eric and Edwina Merriweather