Make it Double: Miami Lands Commitment from 2025 Four-Star Linebacker Elijah Melendez

If Saturday night is any indication of how strong the Miami Hurricanes football program will close when the early signing period arrives on Wednesday (December 20th) through Friday (December 22nd), Hurricane fans better hold on tight to their seats because more celebratory fireworks are on the way. After landing a commitment from Vanderbilt transfer safety Savion Riley tonight, Miami would strike once again two hours later with class of 2025 Osceola High School (Kissimmee, Florida) four-star linebacker Elijah Melendez announcing his verbal commitment to the orange and green. Melendez chose the Hurricanes over his seven other finalists: Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and USC, in addition to a slew of over 30-plus offers from Power-5 programs around the country.

Melendez, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 225 pounds as a high school junior, is a prospect that the Miami coaches are extremely high on in terms of his potential at the next level. They were one of the first to identify him as an elite prospect when they pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer during Melendez’s visit to the Coral Gables campus in the spring. One of the key factors for Melendez choosing the Hurricanes over all of his other options is that he truly believes something special is being built down in Coral Gables under Mario Cristobal’s leadership as the head coach of the football program. Melendez would also express his belief that Miami will win a national championship once again in the near future.

A lot of credit goes to Miami linebackers coach Derek Nicholson for persistence and consistent communication with Melendez and his mother, in addition to numerous campus and gameday visits during the 2023 college football season. Melendez joins Miami’s 2025 recruiting class alongside four-star quarterback commit Luke Nickel from Milton High School (Alpharetta, Georgia) and another in-state prospect in four-star wide receiver Waden Charles from Palm Beach Central (Wellington, Florida). Miami’s 2025 recruiting class now slots in as the 16th overall ranked recruiting class according to the recruiting industry services (247Sports, ESPN, On3, and Rivals).

Sit tight, Hurricane fans, as more news will be coming in over the course of the next four days between flips and commitment additions in Miami’s 2024 recruiting class and through the transfer portal.