Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was a big day in college football. It was a big day for Brenton Cox Jr.

On Dec. 20, 2017, the first early National Signing Day was held. For the first time, blue-chip recruits from around the country could make their college plans official prior to Christmas rather than wait until the traditional date in February. A five-star prospect from Stockbridge, Ga., Cox Jr. was one of those set to make his intentions known.

ESPNU and all the familiar trappings were in place for the broadcast of his announcement. A former Ohio State commit, Cox Jr.'s final decision was down to Alabama and Georgia, the two programs scheduled to play for the national championship in a couple of weeks. Cox Jr. chose his home-state Bulldogs, joining marquee recruits such as quarterback Justin Fields and offensive lineman Cade Mays in Georgia's top-rated class.

Less than three years later, Fields is at Ohio State preparing for the Buckeyes' COVID-delayed season opener. Mays is at Tennessee preparing for a much-hyped game against his former teammates on Saturday at Sanford Stadium. And Cox is getting ready for his third game in a Gators uniform, Saturday's showdown at Texas A&M.

Cox Jr. transferred to Florida in August 2019 following the first week of training camp at Georgia. He was forced to sit out the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules but made a splash in his Gators debut Sept. 26 with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the first quarter at Ole Miss.

"It was good to get back on the field,'' he said Tuesday. "I haven't been on it like in two years. It was a blessing just to be out there. It was very shocking to me. I wasn't expecting to do that. I expected to have a good game, but I wasn't expecting to do that right way because it was my first game after a long period off. I really just went into the game thinking positive."

Cox Jr.'s departure from Georgia and quick transfer to Florida produced the customary headlines when a player transfers from a Southeastern Conference program to one of its chief rivals. Bulldog Nation shooed him. Gator Nation virtually hugged him.

Meanwhile, Cox Jr. turned his attention to a fresh start and let others say whatever they wanted to say.

"I was basically trying to just keep my head down and keep working,'' he said of his season on the sideline. "The whole process is hard because it's basically you seeing people you came in with pass you along. That was the hardest part. Other than that, I'm here. I'm ready."

In Cox Jr.'s first two games at Florida, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound outside linebacker/defensive end has made his presence felt at a position Jonathan Greenard held down so capably last season. He is fourth on the team with 13 tackles, tops among UF's defensive linemen, and tied with linebacker Ventrell Miller for the team lead with three tackles for loss. Cox Jr. and fellow defensive lineman Zach Carter each have a team-best 1.5 sacks.

Cox Jr. considers himself a natural in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's attacking system.

"It fits me as a player because it makes me versatile as a player,'' Cox Jr. said. "I can do a lot of different things on the D-Line. The schemes he has puts me in the best positions I can be."

Cox Jr. has the physical gifts to become a special player. There's no doubt he passes the proverbial eye test. In one season at Georgia, he finished with 20 tackles and started his final game for the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, raising expectations for his sophomore season.
 
"For only being a freshman, he can be an elite player in my opinion,'' Georgia teammate Monty Rice told the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer in 2018. "He just has to keep working, and he can be great."

While Cox Jr.'s stay at Georgia did not end the way anyone expected, he has found a new home with the Gators. Grantham and Gators head coach Dan Mullen praised Cox Jr. during training camp for the way he acclimated to the program last season.

They definitely see a player that can make an impact on the field for a team expected to challenge Georgia for the SEC East title.

"The thing I like about the guy is he likes to play ball," Grantham said. "He's a really hard worker in practice. He's done a good job and working to develop some fundamentals that I think we needed to work on for him to be successful moving forward. I think as he's developed those things it will allow him to be the kind of player he wants to be. I'm just pleased with the guy's work ethic, his demeanor and really glad he's on our team."

In the wake of his exit from Georgia, reports surfaced that Cox Jr. clashed with coaches and teammates, most notably a sideline skirmish with veteran teammate D'Andre Walker that TV cameras captured against Middle Tennessee his freshman season. He is not interested in revisiting that period in his life. He has moved on. He said he maintains friendships at Georgia, but more importantly, that he has built new relationships with the Gators and is grateful for the opportunity to be able to compete for an SEC East title and possibly more across the state line from where he grew up.

On the field, he said the best is yet to come. He wants much more than what he has done so far.

"I'm in a different place in life right now, a more positive place, and I'm doing better,'' Cox Jr. said. "I'm now on another team and these are my friends over here. It was a very humbling experience [last season], having Jon Greenard here and [Jabari] Zuniga here, and coming in trying to learn and sit behind them and learn and watch. Everybody here took me in and made sure I was welcomed."

Cox Jr. made headlines in training camp because of his jersey number: No. 1, traditionally given to one of the team's top playmakers. Receiver Kadarius Toney wears it on offense.

He said, make no mistake, he wanted the number.

"It was important to me to just pick up where I left off,'' he said. "I definitely felt like I was a good enough player to wear the No. 1 jersey and that's what I went with."

Back in Athens, one of the big storylines this week is the return of Mays, who transferred to Tennessee in the offseason after two seasons at Georgia. He was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, which Florida tried to get for Cox Jr. last season to no avail.

When the Gators face the Bulldogs Nov. 7 in Jacksonville, Cox Jr. will take his turn in the transfer spotlight. That's life for five-star recruits now at rival schools.

He won't need a wakeup call that morning.

"It will be a very intense game,'' he said. "A very personal game. I can't wait to see it."