The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their college careers, as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
One of three linebackers in the 2020 class, three-star linebacker Mitchell Melton officially inked his letter of intent on Wednesday and officially became a Buckeye.
Hailing from Maryland, @m17m__ is officially a Buckeye#GoBucks #XXclusive pic.twitter.com/OqvBJC6JKD
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 18, 2019
The Melton File
- Class: 2020
- Size: 6-foot-4, 235 lbs.
- Pos: LB
- School: Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: 37 (OLB)
The linebacker made his official visit to Ohio State on June 15 and made his official visits to Notre Dame on June 7 and to Michigan on June 21. After his official to Michigan, it seemed like the Wolverines had the momentum for his pledge, but Michigan added two linebackers last week on top of the three it already had committed.
Melton joins fellow 2020 Ohio State linebacker commits Cody Simon and Kourt Williams, but at 6-foot-4, 235, is certainly the biggest of the bunch – and it shows.
Playing in Olney, Maryland, Melton is stellar in run support and oftentimes a dominant pass rusher from a stand-up linebacker position.
Though he's not quite the athlete of Simon or Williams – running just a 4.87-second 40-yard dash in May – he is certainly quick for his frame with his 4.27-second shuttle time jumping out.
For comparison, Simon ran a 4.19 at The Opening Finals and placed better than 98 percent of linebackers tested. Those are the best linebackers in the country. Melton has good lateral movement and weighs 235 pounds compared to Simon’s 220 pounds.
Melton enters a crowded linebackers room with only Malik Harrison expected to depart this season, giving him time to develop into the type of player he can be.
