The Rutgers football family received devastating news this week. Jamil Merrell, a former defensive end and team captain for the Scarlet Knights, passed away at the age of 36.

"As I write this, I’m sitting beside my twin brother, surrounded by our family, knowing that we’re witnessing one of the hardest moments we’ll ever have to face. With tears in our eyes and love in our hearts, I want everyone to know that my twin brother, Jamil, is peacefully transitioning to be with God," Jamal wrote on Instagram.

His twin brother, Jamal, shared the news, sitting beside Jamil in his final moments, surrounded by family. Before passing, Jamil left his family with words that stopped everyone in the room.

"Before this moment, he looked at us with peace and said, 'It’s time for me to level up, and everything down here for me is complete,'" Jamal further wrote on Instagram.

The cause of death was not reported.

However, Jamal's tribute captured who his brother was as a person.

"He loved with his whole heart. He kept it real no matter who you were. He would give you the shirt off his back, tell you the truth even when it was hard to hear, and stand beside the people he loved no matter what," Jamal wrote on his social media.

Sharing the field with his twin brother Jamal through those years made the Rutgers chapter of his life something genuinely special.

Jamal's tribute made clear that his brother never once complained through whatever he was fighting.

"You never complained. You never quit. You stood 10 toes down through it all," he wrote on his social media.

After college, Jamil kept playing. He earned a spot on the Chicago Bears practice squad before spending several seasons in the AFL.

How Jamil Merrell led during Rutgers’ coaching change

Jamil walked into Rutgers in 2009 when Greg Schiano was running things. Schiano had built that program from nothing and was turning the Scarlet Knights into a real force in the Big East, per On The Banks.

Kyle Flood took over after Schiano left for the NFL in 2012, and Jamil played through that transition too. Earning a captaincy after a major coaching change says everything about the kind of leader he was in the building. Merrell wrapped up 2013 with 21 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.

After college, he kept playing wherever he could. He suited up for the Los Angeles KISS in 2016 and the Colorado Crush in 2017 in the Arena Football League. He finished his pro career with 15 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries.

When the playing days were done, Jamil moved into sports performance coaching and started pouring that same energy into developing young athletes.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore