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Elijah Melendez, 4-star Sunshine State LB, signs with Auburn

Cole Pinkstonby: Cole Pinkston12/04/24ColePinkston
Elijah Melendez
Photo: Jeffrey Lee, Auburn Live

Four-star linebacker Elijah Melendez of Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola signed with Auburn on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. 

The Melendez File

Position: Linebacker – Mike

Height/Weight: 6-1.5 / 224 pounds

Notable trait/Auburn fit: Melendez fits the mold of the traditional, throwback linebacker who roams the box and stops the run, but he can run and blitz well like a new-age backer, too. He’s got most everything in the toolbox to play Mike backer.  

On3 Industry Ranking: (91.77) No. 181 overall, No. 17 linebacker, No. 24 in Florida

Commitment date: Sept. 14, 2024

Chose Auburn over: Miami, Oregon

Time of enrollment: January

Notable: Melendez’s recruitment was a fight to the finish. First of all, Auburn lured him away from in-state Miami for a big recuiting win. Then, Oregon made a big push at the end. Melendez held strong with Auburn through all of it.

Quoteworthy: “My brother loved it. He thinks it’s a real good school for me, a real good fit for me with football and family, the grind and effort, the fan base. Everything about it is really good. You can’t really beat this.”

Elijah-Melendez-Auburn
EJ Holland/On3

Film Breakdown

***Film breakdown written by Auburn Live Analyst Cole Pinkston..

— Melendez holds a solid build and is already far advanced in his frame. He is not one of the guys with a big frame to continue to fill in. He is already matured weighing close to 225 pounds at 6-foot-1.

— Melendez plays linebacker in a throwback fashion. He plays as if he has a screw loose (in a good way). Melendez loves contact, plays downhill, and can be a head-hunter in the middle. 

— Even with his old school mentality, Melendez has a skillset that translates to today’s spread out college football. He can run from sideline to sideline well. 

— For Auburn, Melendez will fit at the Mike backer position. He is suited to play in the middle, play against the run in the box, and cover from that area of the field. 

— If Melendez needs to man up with a back or tight end, he can probably run with them, but is more suited to play in the box on the next level. 

— Melendez plays with excellent instinct and football IQ when in the box. He diagnoses the run at a high success rate. 

— Melendez tracks plays very well. He takes appropriate angles and has good athletic ability to run them down, but he reads and reacts as well as any backer in this class. He knows what he’s looking at. 

— Melendez is physically ready to step in and have an early role at Auburn. He is built like a rock and will be able to take the physical toll that the SEC can give. He has the speed and reactionary quickness to play in his first year in a specific box-player role as he develops.

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