GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In what has been a summer of online verbal sparring beyond even the normal standard between Florida and Georgia fans,
the Gators' quick addition of former Bulldogs linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. turned up the volume last week on social media.
Not much changed Monday after UF head coach
Dan Mullen said the program is trying to get Cox waivers from the NCAA and SEC to be eligible to play this season. Cox played in 13 of 14 games a season ago at Georgia and finished with 20 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
A five-star recruit out of Stockbridge, Ga., Cox was offered a scholarship by UF coming out of high school but chose to sign with Georgia over the likes of Alabama, LSU and Ohio State.
Newcomer Brenton Cox Jr. at Florida Fan Day on Sunday. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
"We're definitely going to apply for a waiver for him and see," Mullen said. "We feel good about it. I think if you look at all the previous scenarios that are out there around the country, we feel we have a good opportunity."
While it remains undetermined if Mullen's optimism will be rewarded, the arrival of Cox adds an intriguing prospect at a position that lost fifth-year seniors
Kylan Johnson and
Rayshad Jackson during the offseason as graduate transfers. Cox, who is wearing No. 6 for the Gators, is listed at 6-foot-4, 247 pounds. He was the second-ranked outside linebacker prospect in the country by
247Sports.com in the 2018 signing class.
He joined the program last week after news broke a week ago that he had entered the transfer portal. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was asked about Cox's departure on Saturday following his team's scrimmage.
"Brenton chose to withdraw from the University of Georgia, going into the portal," Smart said. "He's now at another SEC institution so we wish him nothing but the best and we appreciate his contributions while he was here."
Cox's arrival at UF prompted cheers from Gators fans online. As expected, Georgia fans jeered the decision by Cox to join Georgia's primary SEC East rival.
"As soon as he went in, they reached out,'' Mullen said. "Some of the players reached out and said he had called of the players to ask about us. It's a unique deal. This is the first time that something like this has come up for us."
Mullen said Monday that he got to know Cox on the recruiting trail during his time at Mississippi State, which helped expedite the process since he was familiar with his ability and some of his background.
"He didn't give us a big look out there but we recruited him so I knew him that way,'' Mullen said. "I think he knew a lot of guys on the team, understood defensively he was a great fit for the scheme we run on defense. He's not going real far from home. His mom can come watch him play still and be close to home. With what he knew of the guys on the team, it was a good fit for him talking to guys on our team with how our program is run and what we do."
Meanwhile, 12 days before the Gators face Miami in the season opener, Mullen discussed a pair of departures over the weekend. Sophomore defensive back
John Huggins is no longer part of the program and offensive lineman
Noah Banks announced Sunday that he is giving up football due to medical reasons.
Huggins missed all of preseason camp while dealing with what Mullen referred to as family issues. Huggins had also faced disciplinary issues during his time at UF, including being accused of choking a female tutor in October.
Mullen said Huggins' departure was for "not living up to what we expect of the Gator Standard" and was a fluid situation before recent reports surfaced of Huggins' past troubles off the field.
"It was evolving,'' Mullen said. "There were things we were looking at him having to do. It was a constant process."
As for Banks, a former junior-college transfer from Iowa Western, his return to the field during preseason camp proved to be short-lived.
"As most of you already know I've been living with epilepsy for 6 or 7 years now," Banks wrote on Instagram. "For several years after my first 2 episodes I didn't experience anything else. Unfortunately within the past year and a half or so it's seemed to come back around. I sat out this past spring and got cleared in the summer to come back. Unfortunately earlier this week after a normal practice I had another minor episode."
Banks would have added depth and experience on a young offensive line. He played in 12 games last season and recorded his first start in the win over Idaho. However, he missed spring practice while dealing with medical concerns.
"He was in the rotation for us,'' Mullen said. "That stuff happens. He was excited to come back and I think it just took a toll on him a little bit and just decided it wasn't for his best, you know, his health, for the long-term and future."
