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Liberty football just scored a major win in the transfer portal, adding an ex-North Carolina quarterback. The Flames are rebuilding at the sport's most important position after losing star QB Kaidon Salter. Head coach Jamey Chadwell heads into his third year in Lynchburg after an uneven 2024. The Flames went 8-4 overall and finished fourth in Conference-USA. Liberty's season ended with a 26-7 loss to Buffalo in the 2025 Bahamas Bowl.
The program's cloudy future without Salter, however, just got clearer. According to National College Football Reporter for CBS Sports Matt Zenitz, Michael Merdinger has committed to Liberty. The ex-UNC QB was a 3-star recruit in the Class of 2024 and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Liberty football's future should be bright under Jamey Chadwell
At 6'2, 200 lbs, Merdinger has the physical tools to lead Jamey Chadwell's up-tempo spread offense in 2025. The only caveat is that the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native is more of a pocket-passer compared to the dynamic, dual-threat skills Salter brought to his former team. Chadwell, however, deserves every bit of the benefit of the doubt as he has been successful everywhere he's coach throughout his career. And he's already made history in his first year with the program, leading them to an undefeated record in 2023 and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
Overall Liberty football's transition from the FCS to FBS level has been one of the great success stories in college football. The Flames were hovering around .500 in their last three seasons in the Big South. Since they've gone up a division, Liberty hasn't had a losing season and made it six straight bowl games. After being independent for the first few years, the Flames joined Conference-USA and immediately won the conference championship in dominant fashion.
Year two in its new conference didn't exactly go according to plan as Liberty lost three games in conference, including one to the eventual champion Jacksonville State. Kaidon Salter struggled to replicate the incredible success he had in 2023. The former Conference-USA MVP threw for 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions while rushing for 587 yards and seven scores. Those totals placed Salter at 88th overall in QBR.
Despite Salter's uneven 2024, Michael Merdinger will have big shoes to fill in 2025, should he be named the starter. Jamey Chadwell has raised the standard for this program with his 2023 season. With the twelve-team College Football Playoff, Liberty football can dream about winning its conference championship and snagging a spot in the field. There's a lot of work to be done but that's how far this program has come.
