Could Gators’ Brenton Cox Reach Lofty Self-imposed Expectations in 2022?

Photo: Brenton Cox, Emory Jones; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Florida Gators pass rusher Brenton Cox Jr. caught the eyes of many UF followers when observers noticed he was following just one account on Twitter, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy's official Twitter account.

The Nagurski Trophy is given to the nation's most outstanding college defensive player, a lofty goal for the rising redshirt senior who is betting on himself by coming back to Florida in order to prove that he can be far better than what he's already shown on the gridiron.

Last season, Cox entered the year with an injury, a Jones fracture in his left foot, that sidelined him for several weeks up until fall camp.

He dealt with that injury throughout the season, yet was still able to become one of Florida's most consistent players. According to Pro Football Focus, Cox was the team's second-highest graded defender with more than 20 snaps.

He graded out positively in all defensive categories, ultimately accounting for the most pressures on the team with 35 and the second-most snaps with six during the year, just one less than Gators DL Zachary Carter, who finished with seven sacks last season before declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Though certainly not his ultimate goal, Cox ranked No. 61 last season, according to PFF in the pass-rush department. That's 61st overall among the hundreds of EDGE rushers in the country. For reference, Carter was ranked No. 51.

Still, among those in his draft year (2023), Cox graded out with the 13th-best win rate at 26.2%. That is among players who had at least 260 pass-rush snaps last year and within the class of 2023. Those numbers alone illustrated how good Cox can be, even while playing through a bothersome injury for much of the season.

The young pass rusher has had lofty expectations for himself for a while now, and not just because he dons the coveted No. 1 jersey for the Gators. Though he posted this in June of 2021, perhaps it's just been a year too early.

"As I return for my redshirt senior season, I promise that I will continue to grow, improve, and not let up," Cox wrote on Jan. 16, when he announced he'd be returning for his final season at Florida.

"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."

Though he hasn't always received the praise many pass rushers get throughout the nation, Cox has the burst, power, speed and size to be a legitimate threat to all offenses on a game-in-and-game-out basis. Though he did this unblocked, Cox's power can be seen in his sack against UCF in the team's bowl game last season.

BRENTON COX JR. 💥💥 @GatorsFB pic.twitter.com/hY30eFHOlo
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 24, 2021

Since finally stepping on the field with Florida, Cox has only gotten better over time. Even with an injury in just his second on-field season at the university, it's clear he's stepping his game up to another level, something he appears to want to raise that much higher.

Near the end of the season in Nov. of 2021, Carter was asked about Cox and his stellar player through the final games of the season.

"Don't get it mistaken. Brenton is the truth. I'll tell you that, Brenton is the truth," Cox said of his teammate. "He obviously, he's been battling some things all year and it's tough to do, but he goes out there every week and fights with his brothers. But Cox is the truth."

Now Cox will get an opportunity to prove just that moving forward for Florida as he looks to get the one individual trophy on his mind, becoming the best defender in college football.

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