Between the transfer portal and the NFL draft, Florida is poised to lose several defensive starters this offseason. However, one of its key players plans to return in 2022.
As was widely expected, Gators edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. announced on Sunday that he would not declare for the NFL draft and would instead come back to UF for his redshirt senior season.
“As I return for my redshirt senior season, I promise that I will continue to grow, improve, and not let up,” Cox wrote in a Twitter post. “I look forward to my teammates and I accomplishing our goals on and off the field and making the Gator Nation proud. I’m ready to take over the 2022 season and compete for a national championship title. I am excited for us to go after it and give it all we got.”
Old Head🦍 pic.twitter.com/iA2FgvIajA
— Brenton Cox Jr. (@brenton_cox_) January 16, 2022
A Georgia transfer who arrived midway through the 2019 season, Cox sat out his first year with the team but has started in all 25 games over the last two seasons at the BUCK position, Florida’s outside linebacker/edge rusher hybrid. He has 83 tackles (24.5 for loss) and 11.5 sacks in his time with the Gators.
Cox missed most of fall camp this past season after undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture in June, but he returned for the start of the season and had the most productive year of his college career. He totaled 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks, both career highs.
A former five-star recruit, Cox hasn’t quite lived up to his initial recruiting billing, but he’s been a reliable starter for the Gators. Florida’s front seven has suffered some attrition this offseason, and he’s poised to take over as a leader of the group in his final season of eligibility.
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