John Ayers Merritt (January 26, 1926 – December 15, 1983) was an American college football coach.

Merritt led Jackson State to back-to-back appearances in the Orange Blossom Classic in 1961 and 1962 before being hired by what was then Tennessee A&I.

At Tennessee State (as Tennessee A&I was renamed in 1968), Merritt had four undefeated seasons, claimed four Midwest Athletic Association titles, seven black college football national championships: (1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979 and 1982) and earned the school's first-ever NCAA Division I-AA playoff victory in 1982.

Merritt coached many players who went on to the National Football League (NFL), including Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Joe Gilliam, Claude Humphrey, Mike Hegman, and Richard Dent.

[1] Merritt died on December 15, 1983, at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, after suffering from heart disease.