The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NFL goal drives Cox to Ohio State
It didn’t take long for 5-star defensive end Brenton Cox from Stockbridge to get to the heart of the matter when asked why — ultimately — he committed to Ohio State over his family’s favorite school.
“I want to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2020,” Cox said last week when asked about why he didn’t choose his family’s preferred school, Georgia. “Larry Johnson and Ohio State is the most likely to get me there. I know you’re not supposed to make a decision based on one coach, but I know he’ll be there and that was my decision.”
Johnson’s track record speaks for itself, of course. College football’s godfather of defensive line play has been producing NFL talent for decades, and it seems he’s only getting better.
“He’s been doing this what, 30 years?” Cox said of Johnson. “I know he knows what he’s doing. I trust that, and I see it in the way he’s developed guys like Joey Bosa lately. Yeah, Bosa had a ton of talent, but he needed help getting there. There are three NFL defensive ends he’s coaching right now, and none of them were Bosatype talents, but his work has made them even better. His coaching has done that.
“I’ve got that kind of talent, and he can help me take it to the next level. He’s going to help perfect my game.”
While Cox’s decision seems like an easy one when you break it down that way, there are things to consider beyond football. His family, for example — though originally from Tampa — was and still is pulling for him to go to Georgia. The pressure not to leave the South for school is a bit different from anywhere else.
“The SEC is kind of different, and everybody knows that,” said the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Cox. “Man, my whole family loves Georgia. My dad has stickers on his truck. It’s hard, but I just have to stay focused on me and why I’m making this decision. I just don’t let myself get into it like that. I am doing what’s best for me and my goals.”
Cox is rated the country’s No. 22 overall prospect, the No. 2 strong-side defensive end and the No. 4 prospect in Georgia.