UAB freshman linebacker Allen Merrick is in the hospital after being shot while visiting his home in Gadsden, Alabama, on Thursday.
Merrick, 19, was Gadsden City’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.
ESPN rated Merrick as a three-star prospect coming out of Gadsden High School, which is an hour’s drive from the UAB campus.
“Please pray for the family of Allen Merrick, a young man who joined our UAB Football Family this season,” UAB coach Bill Clark said in a statement. “Allen was visiting home in Gadsden yesterday when he suffered a gunshot wound. He is at UAB Hospital where I’ve been with Allen’s family, but I do not have a condition I can share at this time. I ask that everyone please respect his family’s privacy and keep them all in your prayers.”