By: J. Daniel Pearson
Friday will be a day of anticipation when the Osceola Kowboys face Buchholz for a chance to play in the FHSAA Class 6A Championship game, but Thursday was a day of celebration as three Kowboy players inked Division-1 scholarship offers during a ceremony in the school’s auditorium.
Connor Howes (Ole Miss), Elijah Melendez (Auburn) and Robert Lee (Florida Atlantic) all signed Letters-of-Intent to play college football at the next level; while highly-rated running back Taevion Swint attended the ceremony but said he was delaying his announcement for at least a day.
“I am so incredibly proud of this class and what they have accomplished in their careers,” Osceola Coach Eric Pinellas said. “Four district championships, two Final Four appearances and 34 wins while playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, year-in and year-out, will be a part of their legacy. The fact that all four are signing with Division-1 schools speaks volumes about their football playing abilities.”
Although Swint and Howes may be considered the two biggest names, linebacker Melendez was actually the highest rated player on the squad according to ESPN recruiting experts. A Four-Star recruit, the linebacker was rated 203rd on the ESPN Top 300 List of high school seniors.
He played a huge role in a Kowboys defense that allowed just over 10 points-per-game and allowed just one team to rush for more than 100 yards this season. Melendez, who missed all but one game of his junior season after being injured in the Treasure Coast opener, responded with a huge senior season in 2024. He posted 69 total tackles, including nine for loss – while intercepting three balls.
He stuck to his verbal commit to Auburn, turning down offers from more than 20 schools including Oregon, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
“Missing last year was extremely rough on me,” Melendez said. “So it was so important to stay healthy and show what I could do.”
Swint was simply one of the most electrifying backs in the state, if not the nation. Also listed as an 4-Star and ranked 243rrd on ESPN’s Top 300 List, Swint rushed for 1600 yards and a career-high 24 touchdowns – despite averaging less than a dozen carries per game. Although injuries allowed him to play in just parts of six games his junior year, he still posted mind-boggling career numbers of 4,480 rushing yards, 5,738 all-purpose yards, and 74 total touchdowns in just 46 career games.
Should he rush for 120 yards against Buchholz, he would lift his career average to 100 yards per game. Swint averaged a career-high 10.3 yards per carry this season and his four-year average is 8.4 yards per tote.
He committed to UCF last summer and many believe he will still be signing with the Knights. Although there were internet rumors that former UCF coach Gus Malzahn (now the Florida State offensive coordinator) was trying to flip him. At the ceremony, Swint said he and his representatives were going over some paperwork and said a final announcement could come on Friday. He thanked his “coaches and teammates for helping me become the player he became.”
“We’ve had so many great running backs over the last 30 years, I would be afraid to try to rank them,” Pinellas said. “But Taevion certainly would be mentioned with the very best to have played here. I don’t know how many times I thought defenders have an angle on him for a loss, only for him to turn on the jets and take it to the house.”
Should he sign with UCF he would join former Seminoles Thomas Gearity (OL), Derrick LeBlanc (DL) and John Waler (DL) on the Knight roster.
Howse was another highly recruited player, receiving attention since his freshman year at St. Cloud High School. He flipped his commitment from Arkansas to Ole Miss over the weekend. “It was a really tough decision, but at the end of the day I thought I had to make the decision that was best for me. When I visited Ole Miss again this past weekend, I knew it was the right place.”
He played three years with the Bulldogs, where he was the primary pass blocker for record-setting quarterback Logan King. He transferred to Osceola for his senior season, where he became an outstanding run blocker – helping Osceola average just 300 yards rushing per game.
Numerous other Power 4 schools offered Howse, including Miami, Rutgers, NC State, and UCF. “We knew he was a great pass protector when he got here,” Pinellas said of the 6-5, 320-lb. Howse. “But we were pleasantly surprised how quickly he picked up our run blocking schemes. Big, fast, explosive and smart; you really can’t ask for anything more in an offensive lineman.”
Three-year starter Robert Lee completed the group of Kowboys signing on Thursday. Playing alongside Melendez at linebacker, Lee led the team in total tackles (75) and tackles-for-loss (22) this season. For his career, he posted 229 tackles, 54 tackles-for-loss and seven quarterback sacks.
He turned down offers from UCF, Western Kentucky, FIU, Kentucky and Appalachian State in order to sign with Florida Atlantic.
“Winning games and competing for championships are always the goals of our program and part of the Kowboys’ legacy,” Pinellas said. “But the truth of the matter is that days like these are the most important as we get to watch these young men– who have given so much to their lives to their school, their team and the game — now have an opportunity to move on and continue their education, while playing college football.”
