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Jacorey Croskey-Merritt had an amazing prime-time preseason moment on Monday night against the Bengals. The former Alabama State star ran for a 27-yard touchdown, earning major headlines for his first career score. After the game, he had a very specific request moving forward: call him Bill.
He earned the nickname in his youth due to his short haircut, which reminded people of “Little Bill,” the main character in the animated series created by Bill Cosby.
“I got the nickname Bill from having a bald head when I was little,” Croskey-Merritt explained while playing for Arizona last season while playing for Arizona. “I used to have a low haircut, so people joked on me and said I looked like the character Little Bill. So it just stuck with me.”
Merritt is also serious about the request. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, when Croskey-Merritt is mentioned on TV broadcasts, he wants to be referred to as “Bill.”
Based on the skills he displayed on Monday as well as throughout his playing career, his name will be called plenty of times in the NFL. Merritt played four seasons at Alabama State, including one season affected by COVID-19. Throughout his career, he accumulated 1,164 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 31 games.
He later joined New Mexico, quickly becoming a crucial player for the Lobos. Over 12 games, he tallied 1,190 rushing yards on 189 carries, scoring 17 rushing touchdowns. He also contributed with seven receptions for 72 yards and another touchdown. A highlight of his season was during New Mexico’s 25-17 win against Fresno State, where his game-tying run grabbed attention and made headlines.
He later transferred to Arizona, where he played just one game for the Wildcats. In that game, he rushed for 106 yards and scored a touchdown on 13 attempts, ironically against New Mexico. However, due to eligibility issues stemming from an NCAA discrepancy involving his jersey number 21—reassigned to another player after he redshirted as a freshman at Alabama State in 2019—he was limited to only one game.
The one game was all he needed to get his call-up to the next level. This Spring, he was drafted in the 7th round of the NFL Draft with the 255th overall pick by the Commanders. Now, “Bill” looks to find himself high on the Commanders’ depth chart as they look to copy their immense success from last season.
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