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In similar fashion to his performance five months ago, Croskey-Merritt shined in the East-West Shrine Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In the college football all-star showcase, which features some of the top players preparing for the NFL Draft, Croskey-Merritt had 11 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns for the East, which beat the West 25-0. Croskey-Merritt, who had ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and New Mexico decals on his helmet, scored the first two touchdowns of the East-West Shrine Bowl.

After rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown against New Mexico in August, Croskey-Merritt missed the remainder of the season. The cause, according to UA head coach Brent Brennan: “A concern was raised about his eligibility.�

Croskey-Merritt’s first collegiate season at Alabama State was in 2019. Croskey-Merritt played in 31 games over four seasons at Alabama State and rushed for 1,164 yards and 13 touchdowns, before transferring to New Mexico for a season.

In one season at New Mexico, the 5-10, 208-pound Croskey-Merritt rushed for 1,190 yards — which ranked 23rd in college football — and 17 touchdowns. Croskey-Merritt averaged 6.3 yards per carry in 2023. Croskey-Merritt’s 17 rushing touchdowns at UNM ranked fifth nationally; he finished with 18 total touchdowns.

Croskey-Merritt ended the ’23 season with a 92.7 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus, which was eighth-best nationally.

With plans to finish the spring semester at New Mexico, Croskey-Merritt didn’t join ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in the spring and briefly flipped his commitment from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to Ole Miss, before re-committing to the UA.

“Not being able to enroll early, it left him out there for people to poke at him and sway him either way,� said UA running backs coach Alonzo Carter in July. “We still recruited him and told him our arms are wide open. ‘We want you here.’ I think our relationship grew from that. ... We just showed him love. It wasn’t transactional, it was all about the love and he felt that.�

After Croskey-Merritt re-joined ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, he told the Star in June, “there were a lot of confusing things going on,â€� when asked about his eligibility being in question.

“I can’t really say what was happening but there were a lot of people talking that I didn’t know about. It was a lot of stuff,� he said then. “I don’t really want to get into the details but people blow things up that shouldn’t have been blown up.�

After Croskey-Merritt faced eligibility issues, he didn’t play the final 11 games of his only season in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. The Star contacted the NCAA regarding Croskey-Merritt’s eligibility, but didn’t receive a response.

Croskey-Merritt had an impressive week of practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl, which translated to the game on Thursday. Croskey-Merritt could become the first Wildcats running back taken in the NFL Draft since Gary Brightwell in 2021.