Brenton Cox's Dismissal 'Sends a Strong Message' to Gators Locker Room
Photo: Brenton Cox Jr.; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Billy Napier's decision to dismiss fifth-year redshirt junior outside linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. from the Florida Gators stemmed from "more of a cumulative effect" than an isolated incident, he shared on Monday afternoon shortly after the news surfaced.
While the events that led to Cox's removal from UF's roster may have accumulated over time, the result still came as a surprise to at least one of his teammates.
"It kind of caught me off guard a little bit," cornerback Jaydon Hill said on Monday. "I kind of found out when all y'all did."
Cox was in the midst of his third year as the Gators' starting edge rusher before his ousting, having produced his two best games of the season against Missouri and LSU prior to Florida's matchup of the season against Georgia this past Saturday. He had made 29 starts for UF since the 2020 season and tallied 35 tackles and two sacks in eight games this year.
Those curious about Cox's dismissal rushed to point to his apparent swipe at a Bulldogs player on Saturday after being blocked into the end zone, noticeably being gripped by the collar of his jersey. Napier claimed to be unaware of the strike when asked about it on Monday, however.
"Obviously he's done a lot of good things for the University of Florida, and we wish him nothing but the best," Napier remarked of Cox. "Sometimes you have to make decisions in the best interests of the team. Certainly, Brenton, we're going to do everything we can do to help him with his transition, but as simple as that. I think we've decided to move on.
"These are hard things, right?" Napier continued. "So I think we'll just keep all that in-house. I think that we want to do what we can do to help Brenton going forward, but I think it's a healthy thing for our team. The important thing to understand here is we make every decision in the best interests of the team."
Cox went on to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday evening, calling his expulsion from the program "truly a shock."
While Hill refers to Cox as "my guy" who he continues to root for "to this day," he acknowledged that the outside linebacker's discharge conveys the need for the team to play together and for one another. Napier has demanded that approach from his squad since taking over as Florida's head coach and praised the team for applying it amid UF's third-quarter comeback attempt against UGA.
"It definitely sends a strong message throughout the locker room," Hill shared.
"That just goes to show, when we're all together on one page and fighting, really the sky's the limit. I feel like honestly when we're all just fighting for one goal — I seen [sic] someone's Twitter the other day ... I think it's from the Seahawks. He said something about when no one is looking to be rewarded with the crown, like the team's success, it skyrockets. I feel like that's the approach we should — well, must take."
Starting right guard O'Cyrus Torrence, who spent the first three years of his college career under Napier at Louisiana, added some perspective to the message Cox's dismissal sends to the team. Without comparisons to draw as Napier didn't remove anyone from the Ragin Cajuns' roster to Torrence's memory, the offensive lineman alluded to Cox's missteps leading to a breaking point.
"Maybe like a message to, some things you just can't put up with as a team, as a whole," Torrence explained. "We're in this thing together, so some things you do just can't be accepted."
Florida will move forward with third-year sophomore Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. and fourth-year redshirt sophomore Lloyd Summerall III primarily expected to fill in for Cox at JACK edge rusher.
Powell-Ryland has played in a healthy rotation with Cox this year, earning 197 defensive snaps, while Summerall has primarily contributed on special teams but displayed urgency and "taken the big step" this year to make an impact defensively in the eyes of Hill. Summerall was inactive against Georgia will an upper-body injury after being deemed questionable to play last Wednesday.
"We've been playing a handful of players in that position the entire year," said Napier. "I think — so [Powell-Ryland] 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."
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