Bowling Green State University Athletics
2025 Football Roster
Jersey Number 56
Ian van der Merwe
- Position:
- Defensive Tackle
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 260
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Tucson, Ariz.
- High School:
- Ironwood Ridge HS
 |
Bowling Green |
2025 | Junior
- Appeared in season opener against Lafayette
2024 | Sophomore
- Did not appear in any games
2023 | Redshirt Freshman
- Did not appear in any games
Ironwood Ridge High School |
Tucson, Ariz. |
- Played defensive line at Ironwood Ridge High School for head coach James Hardy
- Made 19 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss as a senior
- Named to the 2021 5A Sonoran all-region team
- A 2022 graduate of Ironwood Ridge High School in Tucson, Ariz.
- Also was on the track & field team
- Attended NAU in Flagstaff, Ariz., for one year but did not play sports
Personal |
- Son of Amy van der Merwe
- Also the son of Stephanie Paris and Derek van der Merwe
- His father, Derek, is the director of athletics at Bowling Green and played football at Central Michigan
- His mother, Amy, played softball at Central Michigan
- His stepmother, Stephanie Paris, played softball at UT Martin and formerly was the head softball coach at Austin Peay
- Has three sisters, Emily, Lauren and Patton
- TJ Watt is his favorite athlete
2026 BGSU Football Pro Day Player Interviews
Wednesday, March 25
BG Football Pro Day 2026 : Coach George
Tuesday, March 24
BG FBall : Postpractice Interviews 3.10
Tuesday, March 10
BG Football NSD Presser 12.4
Friday, December 05
