Bo Melton announces return to Rutgers for next season

The 2020 season was one that we have never seen before. Now, we have to prepare for the same chaos and uncertainty during the offseason.

Early on, Rutgers has received some good news and it continued on Tuesday when Bo Melton announced his intention to return for the 2021 season.

The Scarlet Knights just finished a season where they played nine Big Ten games in nine weeks. Greg Schiano was able to lead Rutgers to a 3-6 record during his first year back on the sideline. During the 2020 season, the offense was able to take a huge step forward. The Scarlet Knights averaged 26.7 points and totaled 339.1 yards per contest.

A big reason for the upgrade was Melton reaching his potential. The former four-star recruit out of Cedar Creek High School was able to thrive under offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson and wide receivers’ coach Tiquan Underwood.

Melton led Rutgers with 47 catches for 648 yards and six touchdowns. He put up a season-high 150 yards against Illinois to go with two touchdowns on just five catches. This was his first of two multi-score games, with the other coming against Indiana.

The announcement of his return comes after Melton was snubbed by the Big Ten during their release of postseason awards. Next season, he will be one of the biggest names to watch in the conference. Rutgers will have plenty of speed in the offense with Aron Cruickshank and Joshua Youngblood. Having Melton back will open up the playbook even more for Melton.

There was a chance that Melton would test the waters of the NFL. The 2021 season is the perfect time to continue to fine tune his game and prepare for the next level.

Melton is the most recent Scarlet Knight to announce their return. He joins Olakunle Fatukasi and Julius Turner as key players who will return to the banks in 2021. Both Michael Dwumfour and Brendon White have declared for the NFL draft.

We will continue to provide roster updates for Rutgers football as they continue this offseason.