University of Massachusets Athletics
2022 Football Roster
Jersey Number 7
Ellis Merriweather
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 225
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Alpharetta, Ga.
- High School:
- Alpharetta / Garden City College (Kan.)
2022 • Redshirt Senior
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
- 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
Monday, September 21
Monday, September 21
Saturday, September 19
Saturday, September 19
