Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was asked on Wednesday while talking to a group of reporters to list the names of the most successful edge rushers he has coached in his system. At Georgia, there was Justin Houston, Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. He got plenty out of Montez Sweat and Gerri Green at Mississippi State. And last year in Gainesville, Jachai Polite broke out.
That’s an apt tally now that Brenton Cox has transferred to Florida from Georgia.
Cox has as much, if not more, ability than any of those guys. The key for Grantham and Florida will be getting Cox to buy in and develop.
Cox, a sophomore outside linebacker and former five-star prospect, entered the NCAA transfer portal after a spring marijuana arrest and clashes with Georgia’s coaching staff, The Athletic reported earlier in the week. The Gators’ interest was immediate, multiple sources close to Florida said. Within minutes of being allowed to contact Cox, Grantham reached out, sources said.
The expectation right now is Cox won’t be eligible until next season. He is enrolled and will wear No. 6, per Florida’s roster, but he will need a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2019. He can still practice, however, and is expected to do so Friday.
In 2020, Cox will join a group expected to include high-end four-star freshmen Khris Bogle, Mohamoud Diabate and Lloyd Summerall, along with Jeremiah Moon, who is a redshirt junior (graduate transfer Jonathan Greenard is expected to be at Florida for only this season). The edge-rusher position at Florida doesn’t profile as a desperate need, but the addition of Cox underscores the level Florida is trying to reach. The idea is to stack talent so that any potential losses aren’t as crippling as what the Gators are experiencing in their secondary.
Cox is the only former five-star recruit on Florida’s roster. Georgia has recruited at such a high level that his departure wasn’t met with panic. As a freshman last year, Cox played in 13 of 14 games, including a start in the Sugar Bowl, and made 20 tackles and one sack. He wasn’t assured a starting role because Georgia now has Nolan Smith, the nation’s top high school prospect in the 2019 class, and Jermaine Johnson, the nation’s top junior college recruit.
The Gators’ system is a good fit for Cox, and Grantham’s history suggests he can tap into Cox’s potential and get the most out of him.
There will be room for Cox to shine, even with Bogle expected to thrive at Florida as a pass rusher, too. Even if Cox were to somehow be eligible for this season, Bogle would still play. He’s that good, and he’s had that good of a training camp, sources close to the program said. Grantham’s defense is heavy on rotating players and using personnel to fit certain packages. For example, Florida can always move guys around to get two players at the buck position on the same field in 2020.
That is assuming Cox’s transition is smooth, which it should be. Grantham once worked for Nick Saban at Michigan State, and there are some similarities with that defense and with what Kirby Smart, another former Saban assistant, does at Georgia. In theory, Grantham can teach Cox his defense by comparing it to what Cox was previously doing. The big difference would be how much Cox would be asked to rush the passer. Grantham places a higher value on edge rush and winning one-on-one battles.
All of that has been explained to Cox. Conversations about the need for him to be “buying in” have already occurred, too. They were part of a mutual feeling out process. Cox is friends with Florida defensive back Trey Dean and knows outside linebacker Andrew Chatfield. He called both for their takes, sources close to Florida said. History worked in Florida’s favor. Cox went to Stockbridge (Ga.), and that’s a school Florida head coach Dan Mullen has recruited heavily and a program he has good relationships from. So does Grantham. Offensive line coach John Hevesy recruits the area now, and he was a positive factor in Cox’s move, too.
Gainesville is less than five hours away from Cox’s hometown; he’ll still be playing in the SEC and in a system that should showcase his skills. Transfers have been a boon for Florida so far under Mullen, who said he doesn’t take transfers unless they can make an immediate impact once eligible. That’s part of what has made the Gators appealing for transfers. The production of Adam Shuler, Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes is proof of what Mullen said being true. Greenard should add to that list this year. And then Cox can in 2020.
At Florida, Cox is getting a second chance. Mullen has offered them to several people over the years without a reoccurrence of whatever the issue was that warranted concern. When I asked Mullen a couple of months ago about his calculus when it comes to granting them, he offered a detailed breakdown.
“You have to gather as much information as you can about the entire situation,” Mullen said in May. “Then you are looking at the individual. At times, you’re looking, ‘Is this way out of character or is this a potential character flaw of the individual as you see it?’ Every decision you make is different, and I try to look at each situation as an individual situation. You spend time with who it is and who it impacts.
Grantham has had success when coaching players who needed a redemption chapter. Sweat, for instance, was kicked off Michigan State’s team and then went to Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. He didn’t have success at Michigan State, but he meshed well with Grantham, who he looked up to, and had 10.5 sacks at Mississippi State in 2017. In April, the Redskins drafted him in the first round. Sometimes in college football, a change of venue can humble someone in college. It can significantly depend on the staff.
Grantham’s stint with the Dallas Cowboys from 2008-09 made him a better coach. It was there, while coaching Tank Johnson and Jay Ratliff, among others, he learned how to work with high-profile players, significant egos and high personalities. He worked with guys like that, and helped get them to buy into the idea of funneling personal goals into what is also best for the team.
The optics on Cox to Florida are uneven. For Florida — especially with all the Mullen-Smart rivalry talk and supposed trolling that dominated media a couple months ago — landing a five-star formerly of Georgia is a good, fun look. On the other hand, Cox’s past is a concern. Still, there is reason to believe the Cox-Florida marriage will work, and not just because the 247Sports Composite once ranked him the No. 23 overall player in the 2017 class.
That’s an apt tally now that Brenton Cox has transferred to Florida from Georgia.
Cox has as much, if not more, ability than any of those guys. The key for Grantham and Florida will be getting Cox to buy in and develop.
Cox, a sophomore outside linebacker and former five-star prospect, entered the NCAA transfer portal after a spring marijuana arrest and clashes with Georgia’s coaching staff, The Athletic reported earlier in the week. The Gators’ interest was immediate, multiple sources close to Florida said. Within minutes of being allowed to contact Cox, Grantham reached out, sources said.
The expectation right now is Cox won’t be eligible until next season. He is enrolled and will wear No. 6, per Florida’s roster, but he will need a waiver from the NCAA to play in 2019. He can still practice, however, and is expected to do so Friday.
In 2020, Cox will join a group expected to include high-end four-star freshmen Khris Bogle, Mohamoud Diabate and Lloyd Summerall, along with Jeremiah Moon, who is a redshirt junior (graduate transfer Jonathan Greenard is expected to be at Florida for only this season). The edge-rusher position at Florida doesn’t profile as a desperate need, but the addition of Cox underscores the level Florida is trying to reach. The idea is to stack talent so that any potential losses aren’t as crippling as what the Gators are experiencing in their secondary.
Cox is the only former five-star recruit on Florida’s roster. Georgia has recruited at such a high level that his departure wasn’t met with panic. As a freshman last year, Cox played in 13 of 14 games, including a start in the Sugar Bowl, and made 20 tackles and one sack. He wasn’t assured a starting role because Georgia now has Nolan Smith, the nation’s top high school prospect in the 2019 class, and Jermaine Johnson, the nation’s top junior college recruit.
The Gators’ system is a good fit for Cox, and Grantham’s history suggests he can tap into Cox’s potential and get the most out of him.
There will be room for Cox to shine, even with Bogle expected to thrive at Florida as a pass rusher, too. Even if Cox were to somehow be eligible for this season, Bogle would still play. He’s that good, and he’s had that good of a training camp, sources close to the program said. Grantham’s defense is heavy on rotating players and using personnel to fit certain packages. For example, Florida can always move guys around to get two players at the buck position on the same field in 2020.
That is assuming Cox’s transition is smooth, which it should be. Grantham once worked for Nick Saban at Michigan State, and there are some similarities with that defense and with what Kirby Smart, another former Saban assistant, does at Georgia. In theory, Grantham can teach Cox his defense by comparing it to what Cox was previously doing. The big difference would be how much Cox would be asked to rush the passer. Grantham places a higher value on edge rush and winning one-on-one battles.
All of that has been explained to Cox. Conversations about the need for him to be “buying in” have already occurred, too. They were part of a mutual feeling out process. Cox is friends with Florida defensive back Trey Dean and knows outside linebacker Andrew Chatfield. He called both for their takes, sources close to Florida said. History worked in Florida’s favor. Cox went to Stockbridge (Ga.), and that’s a school Florida head coach Dan Mullen has recruited heavily and a program he has good relationships from. So does Grantham. Offensive line coach John Hevesy recruits the area now, and he was a positive factor in Cox’s move, too.
Gainesville is less than five hours away from Cox’s hometown; he’ll still be playing in the SEC and in a system that should showcase his skills. Transfers have been a boon for Florida so far under Mullen, who said he doesn’t take transfers unless they can make an immediate impact once eligible. That’s part of what has made the Gators appealing for transfers. The production of Adam Shuler, Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes is proof of what Mullen said being true. Greenard should add to that list this year. And then Cox can in 2020.
At Florida, Cox is getting a second chance. Mullen has offered them to several people over the years without a reoccurrence of whatever the issue was that warranted concern. When I asked Mullen a couple of months ago about his calculus when it comes to granting them, he offered a detailed breakdown.
“You have to gather as much information as you can about the entire situation,” Mullen said in May. “Then you are looking at the individual. At times, you’re looking, ‘Is this way out of character or is this a potential character flaw of the individual as you see it?’ Every decision you make is different, and I try to look at each situation as an individual situation. You spend time with who it is and who it impacts.
Grantham has had success when coaching players who needed a redemption chapter. Sweat, for instance, was kicked off Michigan State’s team and then went to Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. He didn’t have success at Michigan State, but he meshed well with Grantham, who he looked up to, and had 10.5 sacks at Mississippi State in 2017. In April, the Redskins drafted him in the first round. Sometimes in college football, a change of venue can humble someone in college. It can significantly depend on the staff.
Grantham’s stint with the Dallas Cowboys from 2008-09 made him a better coach. It was there, while coaching Tank Johnson and Jay Ratliff, among others, he learned how to work with high-profile players, significant egos and high personalities. He worked with guys like that, and helped get them to buy into the idea of funneling personal goals into what is also best for the team.
The optics on Cox to Florida are uneven. For Florida — especially with all the Mullen-Smart rivalry talk and supposed trolling that dominated media a couple months ago — landing a five-star formerly of Georgia is a good, fun look. On the other hand, Cox’s past is a concern. Still, there is reason to believe the Cox-Florida marriage will work, and not just because the 247Sports Composite once ranked him the No. 23 overall player in the 2017 class.
but appreciate it bruh!
