High school assistant says Tennessee getting ‘dominant player’ in LeDarrius Cox
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It’s clear Tennessee’s new staff is putting a heavy emphasis on the state of Alabama. Considering all the connections the coaches in Knoxville have to the Yellowhammer State, it’s a wise move and one that’s already beginning to pay off for the Vols.
After 2020 four-star athlete Kristian Story committed to the Vols last week, 6-foot-4, 310-pound Mobile native LeDarrius Cox joined him Wednesday evening in giving Tennessee his pledge. They may be the first two Alabama natives to commit to Jeremy Pruitt’s Rocky Top program, but they certainly won’t be the last.
No need to take our word for it, check out what Cox’s offensive coordinator Zach Golson at McGill-Toolen had to say to SDS’s Dan Harralson (@danharralson on Twitter) about the impact Pruitt has made on the coaches working hard in the state of Alabama.
“For me, Coach Pruitt is an inspiration. To watch his career develop from defensive coordinator at Hoover HS to the head coach at the University of Tennessee gives me hope as an offensive coordinator at a place similar to Hoover in McGill-Toolen Catholic HS, that one day I could make that kind of jump as well.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he is already doing well in recruiting in the state of Alabama, and in particular in Mobile. He has recruited our area for a while and has done a great job of building relationships with the coaches and players down here. I’m glad that one of our guys is going to get to play for him and his staff.”
While Golson may not be one of Cox’s position coaches, he knows far too well how the big lineman can blow up an offensive coordinator’s gameplan. Here’s what McGill-Toolen’s offensive coordinator had to say about Cox and what Tennessee fans can expect from the program’s newest commit.
“Tennessee is getting a great player, but more than that they are getting someone with a positive personality and great work ethic that is infectious throughout our program,” Golson said before mentioning he’d love to see Cox utilized on his side of the ball.
“Honestly, I have been wanting him to come to the offensive side of the ball since he came to McGill three years ago, but he has become a dominant player in the middle of Coach (Earnest) Hill’s 3-4 defense. He has worked very hard to improve his hip flexibility and speed, and it shows on the field. At this point, I’m looking forward to seeing him compete as a senior, and then watching him continue to grow and develop when he gets into college.”
Considering how badly Tennessee needs help, especially on the defensive interior, it sounds like Pruitt may have just landed a crucial part to the interior of his defense to help fix the run defense on Rocky Top.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
