The Chargers’ draft room was full of excitement when South Carolina’s 
A jack-of-all-trades at South Carolina, Ingram posted the fourth-most sacks in school history and the fifth-most tackles for loss. A team captain and full-time starter as a senior, he helped the Gamecocks rank third in the nation in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. Ingram returned two fumbles for touchdowns, played special teams and scored a touchdown on a 68-yard run during a fake punt against Georgia in 2011. It all led toward him being named just the third consensus first-team All-America in South Carolina history and the first since 1984.
Ingram was also part of a resurgence at South Carolina that peaked when the Gamecocks won a school-record 11 games in his final season, going 11-2, including a 30-13 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Ingram’s athleticism and versatility led teammates to nickname him “Super Melvin” in high school. Ingram can do a standing back-flip, he can dunk a football over the crossbar, he can dunk a basketball with ease and he can throw a football more than 70 yards.
Ingram spent most of his life in a single-parent household after his father, George Melvin, died when he was young. His mother, Nancy, taught him to be humble, but his dad had taught him that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations. It’s a message that’s stuck with Ingram throughout his football career.
