Melendez enjoying second chance to playBy Jim GazzoloThe last time Elijah Melendez played football, he was carted off the field in front of 90,000 fans in College Station, Texas. It was the third game of the 2024 season, and Melendez thought he had hit the low point of his life, as a torn ACL put an end to his season. While working on his comeback, Melendez felt a pain in his hip and growing area at the end of spring ball. Those are two things the big transfer from Valdosta State never felt on the field, except that one day against Texas A&M. “The first weeks of chemo I felt really defeated,” Melendez admitted.