National Signing Day: 4-star OG Jonah Melton enrolls early

Most incoming freshmen wait until National Signing Day to sign their National Letter of Intent, but a few players decide to enroll early. Offensive guard Jonah Melton is one of those players.

The Mebane, North Carolina native has been on UNC’s radar since at least 2015. After several visits to Chapel Hill and an October 2016 commitment date, Melton has finally signed on officially. Before making his decision, he received offers from the likes of Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Miami, NC State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

The six-foot-four, 295-pound talent is ranked as the no. 147 talent in the national composite and is the no. 9 offensive guard in his class. He also happens to be the second-best player from North Carolina this year.

Overall, Melton is a huge get for Carolina. The team’s offensive line was a problem in 2016, made all the worse by the injuries to Caleb Peterson and John Ferranto. While both Peterson and Ferranto will graduate, Melton adds a new focal point to the line that they definitely lacked before. The strength of the O-line will be all the more important now that most of the team’s offense is gone. Melton should hopefully help them compensate for the loss of Mitch Trubisky and company.