Auburn’s Elijah Melendez highlights Week 1 recap of Latinos in College Football
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Carlos Leon-Trejo, Contributor
- September 7, 2026
Breaking down how Latinos performed in Week 1
Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez wasted no time proving he belonged in the SEC last year. Although he started only one game, he played in 12 while earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2025.
The 6-foot, 240-pounder from Kissimmee, Fla., entered his sophomore season as a captain, and he definitely played like a leader in the season opener against Baylor. Melendez had a career-high 12 tackles (seven solo) with 1.5 tackles for a loss to help Auburn beat Baylor 17-16 in arguably the most exciting game of Week 1.
Considering the competition and the late-game drama, Elijah Melendez is Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week for Week 1 in college football.
Melendez finished last season with 29 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and one Pick 6. With the exception of his previous career high of six tackles against Georgia, he usually had three or fewer tackles in a game last year. Melendez deserved consideration for SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors, but he was edged by the teammates who made the game-sealing tackle on Baylor’s late two-point conversion attempt.
Whatever the case, Elijah Melendez has definitely set a strong tone for his sophomore season.
Gio Lopez, Carlos Hernandez shine
There were quite a few strong candidates for Our Esquina’s Offensive Player of the Week. We’ll go with a pair of Wake Forest teammates, quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receiver Carlos Hernandez.
Gio Lopez threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns while completing 21 of 32 passes. He added 39 rushing yards on seven carries. Carlos Hernandez had five catches for 165 and one touchdown in a 38-16 victory over Akron.
Here’s how other Latinos performed during Week 1. If we missed a Latino player, please email CarlosLeon@OurEsquina.com.
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Nicholas Rodriguez had three tackles for Missouri in a 54-14 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Texas A&M kicker David Olano made a 28-yard field goal and six PATS in his debut for the Aggies. East Carolina receiver Ismael Smith-Flores had two catches for nine yards in a 48-10 loss against Alabama.
Furman quarterback Jake Garcia was 8-of-17 for 36 yards in a 56-9 loss against Tennessee. Punter Dylan Gomez averaged 43 yards over his two punts with a long of 48 yards for Furman.
Kent State’s Joel Cordoba had four tackles, one for a loss, in a 57-0 loss against South Carolina. Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez had four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown in a 45-15 victory over Youngstown State. Anthony Rubio rushed for 11 yards on two carries in Florida’s 66-21 victory over Florida Atlantic. Transfer safety Joenel Aguero had four tackles for Ole Miss in a 41-38 victory over Louisville.
Tony Rojas returns from ACL injury
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas returned from an ACL injury with authority. The linebacker had a team-high seven tackles (six solo) and a sack. Freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas added two tackles for Penn State in a 45-0 victory over Marshall.
Freshmen Niko Castillo and Ryan Estrada made their debuts for Minnesota in a 59-7 victory over Eastern Illinois. Castillo had four carries for two yards. Estrada had two catches for 12 yards with a long of 11 yards.
Purdue kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano made three field goals with a long of 39. He added five PATs for the Boilermakers. Indiana State kicker Sebastian Lopez made two field goals with a long of 47 yards. He was 1 of 2 on PATs.
Nikai Martinez had one tackle in Michigan State’s 30-20 victory over Toledo. Ohio State defensive back Devin Sanchez had two tackles and two passes defended in a 56-3 victory over Ball State. Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard had one tackle and one pass defended in a 34-27 victory over Boise State.
Jordan Ochoa had two tackles for Nebraska in a 49-21 victory over Ohio. Cal running back Carter Vargas had four carries for 14 yards in a 45-24 loss to UCLA. He added two catches for six yards.
Tony Diaz shows he belongs
Iowa transfer Tony Diaz lived up to the hype in his Big Ten debut. The UTRGV transfer led Iowa in catches (7) and receiving yards (84) with one touchdown. He added a 10-yard carry in the 49-0 victory over Northern Illinois. Defensive back Alex Mota had a tackle for the Hawkeyes.
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. completed 24 of 35 passing attempts for 268 yards and one touchdown against Washington State. He added seven carries for 61 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 24-10 victory. Tyler Robles made a 48-yard field goal while going 1 for 2. He added three PATs.
Alberto Mendoza, who backed up his Heisman-winning older brother Fernando Mendoza last season at Indiana, has a new home. The Georgia Tech quarterback completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 237 yards in a 14-13 loss to Colorado. Stanford linebacker Jahsiah Galvan had seven tackles in a 45-6 loss to Miami.
Da’Quan Gonzalez had five tackles, and Joshua Cruz had three tackles for New Hampshire in a 66-3 loss to Syracuse. Dakota Quiñonez had one tackle for Duke in a 17-3 victory over Tulane. JoJo Bermudez had a 15-yard carry for Temple in a 38-14 victory over Rhode Island. The senior receiver also had two catches for 40 yards, highlighted by a 26-yard reception.
Navy junior running back Jackson Gutierrez had eight carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-15 victory over Towson. Eli Aragon-Cruz had two catches for 26 yards to help Idaho State beat Utah State 29-17. Anthony Garcia had an eight-yard catch for Utah State. Jacob Perez had eight tackles (three solo) for Idaho State. He also had an interception that he returned for 28 yards.
Gavin Garcia goes off
Gavin Garcia rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries to lead The Citadel over Charlotte 43-41. Garcia earned Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales threw for 322 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 31 rushing yards and two touchdowns on six carries in the loss.
UTSA receiver David Amador II had two catches for 18 yards in a 45-16 victory over UTRGV. Amador added two punt returns for 10 yards. Jacob Lopez-Veasey added a tackle for the Roadrunners. UTRGV quarterback Garrett Rangel completed 19 of 32 passes for 152 yards in the loss. Backup quarterback Atzel Chavez completed a two-yard pass on four attempts. Running back Fabian Garcia rushed for 11 yards on four carries for the Vaqueros.
Abdon Mata and Connor Cortez each had a tackle for UTRGV. Rice backup quarterback Gael Ochoa showed off his speed with a 29-yard touchdown run in 31-3 victory over Houston Christian. He rushed for 34 yards on four carries. He completed 2 of 5 pass attempts for 17 yards. Safety Jo Chavez had one tackle for Rice.
Nathan Acevedo had four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown to help San Diego State beat Portland State 53-20. Emiliano Rodriguez averaged 39.5 yards per punt on his two punts for Portland State. Oswaldo Morales had a seven-yard carry for Air Force in a 34-0 victory over Duquesne. Alexander Perez had three tackles (two solo), and Jayden Oquendo added two tackles for Air Force.
Jadyn Ramos starts sack streak
USC defensive lineman Jadyn Ramos had a sack for the second game in a row. The sophomore from Conroe, Texas, had three tackles (two solo) in a 39-0 victory over Fresno State. Jaden Carillo had four tackles (two solo) for Fresno State in the loss. Purdue’s Rodney Lora had one tackle and half a sack in a 44-19 victory over Indiana State.
Fordham running back Jacob Rodriguez had four carries for 11 yards in a 38-0 loss to North Dakota State. Ricky Gonzalez II had an eight-yard catch in the loss. Hawaii’s Nick Delgadillo had two catches for 23 yards in a 21-6 loss to UNLV. Devin Alves added a 19-yard catch in the loss.
Central Michigan backup quarterback Angel Flores completed 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards in a 38-7 loss to New Mexico. University of Houston kicker Jonathan Dimas made two field goals with a long of 42 yards. He was 3 of 4 on PATs. Arizona’s kicker Michael Salgado-Medina went 5-for-5 in PATs in the Wildcats’ 37-7 victory over Northern Arizona.
Colorado wide receiver Danny Scudero had four catches for 12 yards in the Buffaloes 14-13 victory against Georgia Tech. Colorado linebacker Tyler Martinez had four tackles (two solo). Martinez transferred from New Mexico State to Colorado.
Defensive tackle Jareb Ramos had one tackle for Iowa State in a 38-10 victory over Southeast Missouri State. Utah running back Steve Chavez-Soto had six carries for 35 yards and a touchdown in the Utes’ dominant 66-14 victory over Idaho. The Chino, Calif., native transferred to Utah after rushing for 448 yards on 87 carries with seven touchdowns in eight games as a freshman at San Jose State last year.
Featured art courtesy of Auburn Athletics.
Carlos Leon-Trejo
Contributor
Carlos Leon-Trejo is a co-host on the Bring on the Blitz! podcast on the Our Esquina network. A graduate of the Texas A&M-Victoria, his reporting credits include major stages such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Big 12 Championship.
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