Brian Merritt begins his first season with the Bulldogs in 2025-26. In addition to his roles as an assistant coach, Merrtt will serve as General Manager and Recruiting Coordinator.
Merritt brings 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, spanning the country, to Smithfield. His most recent post was at New Mexico State, while his coaching journey also includes stops at Morgan State, LSU, Arizona State, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Hampton and Louisville.
"Brian knows where to look and who to talk to at all times," Christian said. "When you talk about someone being a hustler in recruiting and being connected, Brian's name will always come up. As we are looking to expand upon the recruiting footprint of the previous staff, I believe that Brian will consistently keep us relevant in different circles which is extremely important during this time."
Â
He began his coaching career as the director of operations on Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville before spending a year at Hampton. Merritt helped Corpus Christi post back-to-back winning seasons before spending the next five years as the Director of Scouting/Recruiting at John Lucas Enterprises. He returned to the college ranks in 2015-16 as a member of Bobby Hurley's staff at Arizona State. Merritt has since coached at LSU, Morgan State and New Mexico State.
"I am so happy to get the opportunity to come to Bryant and work for coach Christian," Merritt said. "The trajectory of the program on the rise and coach Christian's style of play is a perfect match. I have heard nothing but great things about the community from former players and coaches who have been there before, so I am excited about what we are going to be able to do at Bryant."
