Cox contemplates his future
Linebacker gets cut by the Vikings, sets timetable for his pro prospects
Dakota Cox hasn’t given up on his long-cherished goal of playing in the National Football League.
He has, though, set some limits. Cox, a former UNM linebacker, participated in a Minnesota Vikings rookie tryout camp last week. He was not offered a contract. Nor was his former Lobos teammate, defensive end Nik D’Avanzo, who also attended the Vikings camp.
“I don’t think the Vikings actually signed anyone (from the rookie tryout camp),” Cox said Thursday in a phone interview. “They had a lot of depth going into camp.”
Cox said he’s still hoping for a call from another NFL team or his agent, telling him he’s got another shot. But, he said, “I haven’t really been hearing from any other teams, and a lot of the other minicamps are going on this weekend . ... I’m kind of going on from here and seeing what happens with everything.”
If no more NFL teams come calling this spring or this summer, he said, he likely will move on with his life.
“This (year) is kind of my one opportunity to see if I could get some teams looking at me,” he said. “I think after that, it’s worrying more about my education and moving on into my future off the field.”
Few college players are better prepared for life after football. Cox graduated from UNM in three years with a degree in finance. He’s nearing completion of a master’s in sports administration, but also plans to study cybersecurity.
Regarding future employment, his football résumé should be of some help.
Cox, a product of Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah, led UNM in tackles all four years of his career — finishing with 403 total stops. Perhaps more important to a prospective employer, he was a voted a team captain in each of his final three seasons.
If the Vikings’ rookie camp turns out to be his last football experience, he said, it was a good one — even with no contract extended.
“I had a great camp and everything,” he said. “I played well, but they unfortunately weren’t able to sign me.
“Just learning the scheme and being a part of it for the weekend was as awesome as anything I could have asked for and just a great opportunity . ... It’s something I’ll never forget, for sure.”
Two other former Lobos, running back Teriyon Gipson with the New York Jets and offensive tackle Reno Henderson with the San Francisco 49ers, participated in rookie camps last week. There was no indication they have been signed, and efforts by the Journal to reach them were unsuccessful.
HE’S NO. 6: UNM’s Bob Davie is rated by Athlon Sports as sixth-best among the Mountain West Conference’s 12 head football coaches.
Ranked ahead of him: 1. Troy Calhoun, Air Force; 2. Rocky Long, San Diego State; 3. Craig Bohl, Wyoming; 4. Bryan Harsin, Boise State; 5. Mike Bobo, Colorado State.
There’s no right or wrong here, and it’s hard to argue against Calhoun and Long in the top two spots — Calhoun for consistent success over a long period of time, Long — the former UNM quarterback and head coach — for making SDSU, not Boise State, the league’s dominant program.
But, conceivably, Davie could be ranked as high as third.
Davie is 3-0 head-to-head against Bohl. He has a victory against Harsin, who has lost nine games at Boise State in his three years — just three less than his predecessor, Chris Petersen, lost in eight seasons. The Broncos, erstwhile MWC kingpins, have not made it to the league title game the past two years.
And though Davie is 0-2 head-tohead against Bobo, the Lobos have better overall (16-10 to 14-12) and conference (11-5 to 10-6) records than the Rams the past two seasons.
The second division: 7. Nick Rolovich, Hawaii; 8. Matt Wells, Utah State (how quickly they forget); 9. Jeff Tedford, Fresno State; 10. Tony Sanchez, UNLV; 11. Brent Brennan, San Jose State; 12. Jay Norvell, Nevada.
Tedford, Brennan and Norvell are first-year coaches at their respective schools, and Brennan and Norvell are first-time head coaches.