Clemson running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott can’t wait to start coaching Chez Mellusi, a 4-star running back out of Naples, Florida. Of course, Elliott will have to wait until fall camp considering Mellusi will not enroll at Clemson until the summer.
Mellusi reminds Elliott a lot of another running back he coached a few years back.
“He is very similar to Wayne Gallman when I watch Chez play,” he said.
Elliott says Mellusi (5-11, 190) is a bigger guy compared to Travis Etienne and Lyn-J Dixon. The coach says he runs downhill violently just like Gallman did.
“Now, you are going to have some dynamic guys in Travis and Lyn-J that can get it on the edge, and then you are going to have a plugger that can come in and get the dirty yards when you need to get the dirty yards,” Elliott said.
In High School, Mellusi was one of the top running backs in the nation and one of the top all-around players from the state of Florida. He ranked No. 137 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which ranked him as seventh-best running back and 23rd overall player in Florida. 247Sports listed him as the 17th-best running back in the nation, while Rivals has him as the 20th-best running back.
Mellusi finished his high school career with 3,905 yards and 50 touchdowns. He had 4,409 all-purpose yards and 55 total touchdowns. He averaged an incredible 9.3 yards per carry in 32 games and 421 carries. He had 21 100-yard games on the ground.
In 2018, Mellusi had career-best 1,819 rushing yards and scored 21 touchdowns. He averaged 165 yards a game and 9.9 yards per rush. He had three straight 200-yard rushing games, and eight games with at least 167 yards.
As a junior, he had 1,505 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as his team reached the semifinals of the state playoffs. He averaged 125.0 rushing yards per game, including 219 yards in a game vs. Palmetto Ridge.
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