Brenton Cox Jr – Syndication Server

Former Gators EDGE signs UDFA contract with Green Bay Packers

After being released from the program midseason, this former Gator still managed to sign on with an NFL team.

Former Florida Gators edge defender [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. did not hear his name called during the 2023 NFL draft which concluded on Saturday but did manage to sign on with a professional franchise after the amateur selection process ended.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 252-pound linebacker/lineman hybrid player signed on with the Green Bay Packers on Monday after two-and-a-half seasons with the Gators. Cox was originally recruited by the Georgia Bulldogs but transferred to Gainesville midway through the 2019 season, for which he took a redshirt. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences last summer from UF.

Over the course of 33 games played for the Orange and Blue, Cox amassed 118 total tackles (62 solo, 56 assisted) along with 13.5 sacks and seven passes defended, plus a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

The former Gator is the fourth undrafted free agent for Billy Napier’s program, along with offensive lineman Richard Gouraige (Buffalo Bills), safety Rashad Torrence II (Los Angeles Rams) and safety Trey Dean III (New York Jets)

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Florida dismisses starting EDGE Brenton Cox Jr.

Billy Napier addressed the dismissal of EDGE Brenton Cox Jr. after the shocking news broke on Monday morning.

Florida JACK linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. has been dismissed from the team.

Zach Abolverdi of Gators Online was first with the report, and head coach Billy Napier confirmed the news during his weekly press conference.

“Brenton, we’ve kind of decided to move on here. I think that being a football player at the University of Florida is a privilege. There are certain expectations and standards that come with that. Brenton’s now been here in his third year. Obviously, he’s done a lot of good things for the University of Florida and we wish him the best.

“Sometimes, you have to make decisions in the best interest of the team. Certainly, Brenton, we’re going to do everything we can do to help him with his transition. But it’s as simple as that, I think that we’ve decided to move on.”

Napier was asked if Cox threw a punch at the end of the Georgia game, but the head coach said he was unaware of such events. He declined to go into specifics, calling the decision a “cumulative effect.”

As far as replacing Cox in the starting 11, Florida’s already mildly prepared for the loss. [autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr[/autotag]. have seen plenty of time on the field, and Napier expects to lean on those two heavily for the rest of the season.

“We’ve been playing a handful of players in that position the entire year. So, AP and Lloyd and those guys will do a really good job. They’ve been playing in each and every game for the most part. I know Lloyd was out this past week, but we’ll just continue in that direction.”

Napier declined to answer most follow-ups regarding the topic, citing his earlier decision to keep that kind of information “in-house.”

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These two Gators earned SEC honors for their Week 1 performances

Two Gators made big waves in the conference in their team’s season opener.

Florida football scored an epic win to open the 2022 season in the Swamp, outlasting their top-10 opponent, the Utah Utes, for an upset victory that hopefully sets the tone for the team in head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first year at the helm.

It took a total team effort to score that victory, from the coaching staff all the way down to everyone else who contributed to the outcome on the field. Among the gridiron warriors who went to battle for the glory of the Orange and Blue Saturday night, two particular players stood out from their Southeastern Conference peers.

#SECFB 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊
ᴏꜰꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇ

Anthony Richardson • @GatorsFB

🔗 https://t.co/8blgegmJhh pic.twitter.com/yFPbTKljoV

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 5, 2022

Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] put up Heisman Trophy-worth stats against the Utes to earn the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor, looking solid with his arm while setting a career-high in rushing touchdowns with his three scampers. Only five other Florida play-callers have achieved that accomplishment, a list that also includes [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Jeff Driskel[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Palmer[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]. Of course, Tebow did it twice.

#SECFB 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊
ᴄᴏ-ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇ ʟɪɴᴇᴍᴀɴ

Brenton Cox Jr. • @GatorsFB

🔗 https://t.co/8blgegmJhh pic.twitter.com/OKgfHQmbtS

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 5, 2022

On the other side of the ball is defensive lineman [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]., who roped in his first SEC weekly honor — Co-Defensive Lineman — thanks to a career-best 10 tackles against Utah. The former Georgia Bulldog was expected to anchor the D-line for Florida this season and did not disappoint against the opening opponent, ending up just one of eight conference players to record double-digit tackles in Week 1.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Outside Linebackers

The Gators have a decent amount of depth at outside linebacker, but it’s Brenton Cox Jr. who leads the group heading into the 2022 season.

After going over the defensive linemen on the team in detail, it’s time to talk about Florida’s outside linebackers room heading into 2022.

These are the edge rushers of the team that are expected to cause havoc opposite of [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] at the strongside defensive end spot. [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. leads the group and is returning for his third year at Florida.

The Gators are only losing two players at the position, [autotag]Jeremiah Moon[/autotag] to graduation and [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] to the transfer portal, and they added two freshmen in the most recent cycle. Florida still has plenty of depth on the edge, though. Cox should be good for 13 starts barring injury, and there’s a trio behind him that can do the job if he does need any rest.

Here’s a look at all eight outside linebackers/JACK/edge rushers on the 2022 Florida Gators football roster.

Three Gators ranked inside ESPN’s top 100 college football players for 2022

These three Gators are considered among the best in college football heading into the 2022 season, per ESPN.

Florida had a trio of players turn up on ESPN’s list of the top 100 college football players heading into 2022 on Wednesday. Linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]., quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] all fell in final 20 spots of the list.

Cox fell 21 spots from No. 59 in 2021 to No. 80 on this year’s list. After collecting 8.5 sacks and 41 tackles (26 solo) as a redshirt sophomore, he’s looking to set a new school record in sacks before heading to the pros. Injuries hurt the linebacker room early on last season, but the ESPN staff thinks that a healthy group could open things up for Cox to reach his goals.

“Change is everywhere you look in Gainesville, but Cox is a constant. He combined 8.5 sacks with 10 run stops at or behind the line in 2021, and he broke up four passes in coverage, too. With [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] returning from injury, Cox could helm a dynamite LB corps.”

Richardson comes in at No. 93 on the rankings after not placing a year ago as the backup to [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag]. The ESPN staff isn’t shy about praising Richardson’s potential, but it’ll take actual production for him to move any higher on this list.

“He’s huge (6-4, 252 pounds). He’s got a big arm (among his 38 completions last year were six over 30 yards), and he’s ridiculously fast (rushes of 80 and 73 yards). The man has all the tools. Now we get to see if he can put them all together.”

Four spots under Richardson is Torrence, one of the five men who will be charged with protecting the first-year quarterback. Despite allowing just three pressure in 378 pass-block snaps last year, Torrence moved up from No. 100 to just No. 97. Go figure.

“An under-the-radar recruit, Torrence (listed at 6-5 and 347 pounds) was an immediate star for head coach Billy Napier at Louisiana. Now the former Freshman All-American and All-Sun Belt star will play his trade with Napier in Gainesville. He immediately becomes Florida’s most proven and high-upside lineman.”

If Napier’s guy turns out to be a success in the SEC, he could get drafted in the first three rounds this spring.

A surprising snub on the list is defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag], who was ranked earlier in the week in Todd McShay’s top-50 NFL draft prospects. Like Richardson, he needs to add a little more consistency to his game, but Dexter has been considered one of Florida’s best project players for a few years.

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Top 10 SEC defensive linemen for 2022 season includes this Gator

Here’s where USA TODAY Sports’ staff has this Gator ranked among the best in the conference.

Florida football has a tall task ahead of it this coming season as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his army of staffers look to turn a once-proud program around to bring it back to respectability. While the team has seen a great deal of turnover both on the roster and in the coaching ranks, the state’s flagship school still harbors a respectable amount of talent that has held over the changing of the guard.

We have already gone over where quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter,[/autotag] linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller [/autotag]and offensive lineman [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] rank in the Southeastern Conference ahead of the fall schedule, at last, there is defensive lineman [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. who is the highest-ranking Gator at his position according to these rankings.

The USA TODAY Sports Network is counting down to SEC media days, scheduled for July 18-21 in Atlanta, by revealing its top players at each position grouping. Take a look below at who it ranked as the 10 best defensive linemen in the SEC heading into the 2022 season, with blurbs on each player.