PISCATAWAY -- Bo Melton will be the first to tell you that his freshman campaign in 2017 for the Rutgers football team didn’t go the way the he hoped.
A highly-touted four-star recruit was the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of New Jersey by Rivals.com coming out of Cedar Creek High School. Hype surrounded Melton that he was going to be the guy to help turn around a Rutgers offense that quite frankly hasn’t been in recent years. It didn’t happen as he made just four catches for 83 in 12 games with three starts.
Melton talked about his rookie struggles with TKR on Tuesday.
“I came in here with big aspirations -- be a Big Ten Freshman All-American -- and it didn’t work out to well. I know I have to work a lot more,” Melton said.
“You know, in high school you know the game and you’re the big guy, but in college it’s way different. It’s faster and you have really good NFL-type corners. I had a back injury and that set me back a little bit. But, you just have to go with the flow.”
Melton’s new receivers coach Lester Erb talked about the adjustment that the young 5-foot-11, 185-pounder had to go through.
“I think it’s always a big transition, regardless of where you come from and no matter (if) other people say how good you are, the facts of the matter are he’s coming in here as an 18-year old kid that never played in the Big Ten,” Erb said. “All of a sudden the game’s faster and some of the things he could get away with in high school, he can’t get away with at this level. Unfortunately, we had to play him last year, but the biggest thing for him now is he’s grown up from a mental standpoint…”
Melton’s father, Gary, played wide receiver and running back for the Scarlet Knights from 1987-91. When asked what kind of advice his dad gave him, Bo Melton said he kept it light and simple.
“He’s always told me since I was a kid to just go out there and play ball and play your game,” Melton said. “My freshman year didn’t go as planned. I didn’t get in my groove. This year, my dad’s been telling me the same thing just play your game. You’re bigger and stronger now, and faster, and you’re a leader.”
The sophomore might be bigger, stronger, and faster now which is always a plus. However, he’s also more confident. Throughout the spring, Melton has made highlight play after highlight play. He’s made separation, he’s made one-handed grabs, and he’s come out of his breaks quickly. Melton is playing free. Having that experience of playing last year certainly helps as well.
Head coach Chris Ash singled Melton out last week is a player who’s stood out to him during spring ball. Ash talked about him earlier this spring as well on the difference he’s seen out of him.
“Bo is playing with confidence right now,” Ash said. “When you play with confidence you can just go out there and play instead of thinking all the time. He’s stepped up his game this spring.
“...He's had a good offseason. He understands what to expect, he understands how to handle his business. He's really matured. When he shows up to football, he can focus on football and not be distracted from a lot of other things. I really like where Bo is at.''
Ash and offensive coordinator John McNulty need to find more home run hitters. With his speed, Melton is one of those guys that can do it.
“Guys like Bo, guys that have different-level speed and ability, we have to make sure we give them a chance to put the ball in the end zone," McNulty said.
Come Saturday, Melton is ready display the hard work he and the rest of the receivers have put in with the quarterbacks and McNulty. While they won’t be running plays out of McNulty’s playbook and instead from guest coaches Maggie Gray and Bart Scott, Melton still wants to prove people wrong.
“The spring game is just like a game with the spotlight on you where you can showcase your talents and what you’ve been working on,” said Melton, who had 51 receptions for 766 yards and nine touchdowns and 451 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground as a senior. “I think all the receivers are going to show a lot of improvement that fans are going to be happy with. We still have a lot of work to do, but right now, we’re working as hard as we can and hopefully the results at the end show that.”