Melton follows family tradition as a Rutgers recruit
Cedar Creek High School receiver Miles "Bo" Melton wasn't pressured into attending Rutgers even though his parents were both athletes there.
Cedar Creek High School receiver Miles "Bo" Melton wasn't pressured into attending Rutgers even though his parents were both athletes there.
Melton had his choice of a long list of football powers. And while his parents went out of their way not to try to influence him, they still served as a motivating force for him to choose the Scarlet Knights.
When Melton signs a letter of intent on Wednesday, he will indeed be carrying on a family tradition. His father, Gary, played football, and his mother, Vicky, was a basketball player.
"They didn't put any pressure on me. But some of my decision has to do with my parents going there and me trying to maintain the legacy," said the 6-foot, 185-pound Melton, who was recruited as a slot back and receiver.
As a junior, Melton enjoyed a breakout season, leading Cedar Creek to the South Jersey Group 2 championship and earning the Inquirer's South Jersey offensive player of the year.
He missed time during his senior year after suffering a knee injury during the first scrimmage of the season.
Melton, who said he is now 100 percent, wasn't for virtually all the football season. But he was still a major contributor on both sides of the ball.
On offense, he played wing back, running back, receiver and at times was a Wildcat quarterback. As a senior, he had 761 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and 451 rushing yards and eight more scores. He also had 56 tackles and five interceptions and was named an Inquirer first-team all-South Jersey selection at receiver.
"Once he started making guys miss, he got his confidence. And by the time he got to the playoffs, he was as explosive as he had been all year," said Cedar Creek coach Tim Watson. "I don't think at any point he was 100 percent, but he was close to that in the playoffs."
When Melton committed to Rutgers, Watson estimated that he had about 30 offers at the time, including from the likes of Oregon and Ohio State.
"I know Alabama and others were also coming in," Watson said.
Just because his parents didn't attempt to persuade him to commit to Rutgers doesn't mean they weren't thrilled with the decision.
"We thought it was important that he made his own decision," said Gary Melton, a former running back at Absegami who played receiver at Rutgers and was a late training camp cut of the Washington Redskins. "We do know it's a great school and under Coach [Chris] Ash I like the direction the program is headed."
Once Melton made his oral commitment, he spent the next several months trying to recruit others to come with him.
"I talked to a lot of players," he said.
Even though he committed to Rutgers on April 15, Melton said signing day will still have special significance.
"It's going to feel great. I have been trying to hold it in a little bit," said Melton, who is also talented drummer. "Signing day is when I officially sign the legal document, and I am going to enjoy it."
He can only hope he enjoys it as much as high school, where he had 56 career touchdowns and more than 5,000 all-purpose yards.
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