"See you in the portal my friend": Fans have wild reactions to elite 4-star recruit Paris Melvin's commitment to Big 12 school

Blue-chip prospect Paris Melvin announced his commitment to the Houston Cougars on Thursday. Prior to his pledge, Melvin had listed four finalists from about 15 reported offers on his table. In addition to Houston, Ole Miss, Baylor, and Arizona made the list.

A four-star ATH with versatility in offense and defense, Melvin’s commitment to Houston drew varied reactions from fans online.

One fan wrote:

“See you in the portal my friend!”

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Another fan said:

“Elite Houston area kids can now stay home and represent their city with their hometown pride due to Houston’s Big 12 membership. Massive sleeping giant potential with their recruiting access. For The City!”

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A fan commented:

“Congrats young baller!! You & Grandson going to make history!!”

Another fan added:

“Welcome to The Powerhouse, Paris!”

One fan wrote:

“Baylor and Ole Miss shoved into a locker?”

Another fan said:

“Congratulations, @UHouston!! A great recruiting WIN!!”

Melvin’s commitment is a great recruiting win for the Cougars. The program is building its 2026 recruiting class on the strength of local talent, with elite quarterback Keisan Henderson headlining the class. Henderson, like Melvin, is from Houston, Texas. The five-star quarterback echoed this recruiting strategy in an interview with On3’s Shea Dixon:

“We build out of Houston first. The best players out of Houston and I’ll stick by that. Houston produces the most athletes that go the furthest.”

Standing at 6 feet and weighing 170 pounds, Paris Melvin is ranked the No. 253 prospect in the class, per On3's Industry Rankings. He’s also the No. 13 ATH as well as the No. 34 prospect in Texas.

What Houston Cougars are getting in Paris Melvin

Paris Melvin brings top-tier versatility with him to the Cougars. This much is apparent from the numbers he racked up in his junior season at Cy Springs High School in Houston, Texas.

He covered 1,091 yards in 147 carries, recording 18 scores while at it. He also added 350 receiving yards in offense. Meanwhile, he had 13 tackles, an interception and four pass deflections on defense, according to MaxPreps.

Melvin joins Houston's recruiting class as the 13th commit. He is the newest fruit of the recruiting strategy adopted by coach Willie Fritz and his staff, prioritizing homegrown talent.

How do you think Paris Melvin and the Houston Cougars will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Veer Badani