The feeling was too familiar. As Mitchell Melton went down in Ohio State’s spring game last year, he recognized the pain in his knee. “I felt the injury,” Melton said. “I felt the pop.” For as much as he braced for the worst, he sought to remain optimistic. “Coming off the field, I was hopeful that maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Melton said, “but it was.” He had again suffered a significant knee injury, tearing an anterior cruciate ligament that would sideline him for all of 2022. Despite the string of setbacks, Melton has returned to full strength and adds an intriguing piece to the Buckeyes’ defense for this season, a leading candidate to fill the role as the “jack,” the hybrid defensive end-linebacker position in coordinator Jim Knowles’ intricate scheme. “If the ‘jack’ becomes a part of what he does, I think he can handle it…
Continue Reading: Could Mitchell Melton be the answer to Ohio State football's search for a 'jack?'
