Photo: Brenton Cox Jr.; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The Florida Gators have seen a bevy of players earn preseason recognition ahead of their 2022 campaign.
That streak continued on Monday morning as redshirt junior edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. earned a spot on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, presented annually to the college defensive player of the year.
As a former five-star recruit coming out of high school, Cox began his collegiate career with the Georgia Bulldogs before transferring to Florida prior to his sophomore year. Forced to redshirt under the transfer rules in effect at the time, the anticipation for Cox’s re-introduction to the gridiron increased, especially when it was announced he would be donning No. 1 for Florida despite having yet to play a snap in orange and blue.
In 2020, the talented edge rusher was placed on the AP All-SEC Second Team for his contributions. He accounted for 41 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two batted balls and one fumble recovery.
As a result, 2021 brought expectations of a significant jump for the Stockbridge (Ga.) native. His numbers on the stat sheet increased expectedly. He matched his number of tackles at 41, but saw his tackles for loss (14.5) and sacks (8.5) — four of which came in the regular season finale against FSU — jump considerably.
Cox now heads into his third season with the Gators and continues to carry those high expectations on his shoulders.
Having proved his status as a high-level pass rusher, Cox’s impact on Florida’s defensive success in year one of Patrick Toney’s rule on the unit will be immense.
The full 2022 Bednarik Award watch list can be found here.
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