Willie Fritz and his staff continue to strengthen their recruiting pipeline from Louisiana to Houston. The latest evidence of that is their pursuit of North Iberville’s Bra’jon Melancon (class of 2027).
New wide receivers coach Brian Bell is Melancon’s primary recruiter. Bell is starting to earn a reputation as a lockdown recruiter. Current commits Raiden Cook and Mo Poko have had good things to say about Bell, and Melancon echoed those sentiments.
“Coach Bell was there to greet me with a big smile and full of energy like he always is”, Bra’jon said about his recent trip to campus.
Melancon is an athlete who plays both wide receiver and defensive back for North Iberville head coach Joshua Gast. He has official visits set with UH, Tulane, and UCF. His first stop will be Houston on a big recruiting weekend, June 4-6.
Houston has been identifying more athletes who play multiple positions in high school, as most good players do. But the Coogs have emphasized pursuing players who can do a lot. There’s an intent with that strategy. Staffers say it provides roster flexibility within a recruiting class and shapes the team long term.
Paris Melvin is the perfect example: he came here as a legitimate two-way player, but has slid into the defensive backfield due to some depth issues. He’s also working at kick returner and will get his shot there. Down the road, he’s the kind of guy who could have a package designed for himself and Keisean Henderson.
Raiden Cook has proven to be valuable on both sides of the ball, and it will work at the next level, too. If the staff manages to load up on offensive line prospects by December, then Cook can fit easily into the defensive line room. Otherwise, he could help solidify the future of the offensive line and help you recruit more OL, too.
That’s what makes a versatile player like Melancon so intriguing to the staff. He looks nearly equally capable on either side of the ball, whether he’s using his explosiveness to high point a deep ball or laying a crushing hit on a receiver. Landing a talent like him provides flexibility.
Melancon is also an elite track and field athlete. He cleared 6’9″ in the high jump as a sophomore and triple jumped 47 feet, 4 inches in January, which is the single best in Louisiana this year. He is also playing his first season of high school basketball. And he is showing off that athleticism on the court.
I expect versatility to be a consistent theme in the Fritz era. It allows the staff the opportunity to evaluate players outside of the football field. And it allows Wes Fritz to continue to form a roster that can compete in the Big 12.
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