Here is some info on Cox from the CA.
Lions' Cox a wanted man
Harding harbors versatile athlete
By Jason Smith,
Contact
August 18, 2004
By now you've probably heard the recruiting saga of Harding's Todd Cox.
You probably know how after Cox's junior season last spring, his coach, Paul Simmons, mailed off Cox's highlight tape to schools like Southern Cal, LSU, Tennessee and North Carolina, basically on a whim.
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And you probably know how soon after, the offers started rolling in for the Lions' 6-2, 195-pound specimen who most scouts project will play linebacker or defensive back in college.
LSU offered a scholarship promise. USC offered. Miami, Florida State and Tennessee offered.
And those five, along with Memphis and Florida, are just the ones Cox is still considering.
"I've tried not to get the big head, to stay calm about it and everything," says Cox.
"But I got pretty excited at first because I didn't think I'd get as many (offers) as I did. The big schools, I didn't think they were going to offer me, but somehow they liked my tape."
Indeed, thanks to Simmons's initiative, Cox is very much a wanted man.
In fact, he's part of a Shelby-Metro recruiting class teeming with top-notch Division 1 prospects, according to ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
"There's several All-American candidates in the Memphis area this year with (Braircrest's) Michael Oher, the two kids from East (Malcom Rawls and Dan Williams), Todd Cox and (Germantown's) Jeff Cottam," Lemming said.
"There's even a couple of good kickers. Memphis seems to have everything this year, some big-time players."
Cox, who rushed for 881 yards and 10 touchdowns with a gaudy 11.2 yards-per-carry average last season, will again see time at running back this season, but he'll also play at receiver - or wherever else he's needed.
"I'm trying to help the team win games, just doing whatever it takes," said Cox, who's been clocked at 4.54 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
"I pretty much accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish last year. All the teams that I wanted to offer me have offered me. I accomplished all that, so I'm just trying to help the team win this year."
Added Harding senior quarterback Will Patterson, who's played with Cox since the two were freshmen: "I think he's done real well handling all this. He hasn't gotten a big head. He's not talking himself up."
Simmons said now that Cox already has his offers on the table, his star player can focus solely on helping the Lions win a Division 2-AA state championship.
"I think it's better for us because it'll make his No. 1 concern helping Harding Academy win. He already has the offers. He doesn't have to impress anybody," Simmons said.
"He's always been a team player, but now his numbers won't matter at all. It's all about doing whatever he has to do to help us win.
"That's what he's been doing so far in practice, so it's obvious he cares about us winning a ton."
Cox said he hopes some of the attention he's drawn will help players like Patterson and Cortez Mack, Cox's backfield partner who rushed for 814 yards and eight touchdowns last year, get looks from major colleges as well.
"With all these scouts and coaches coming to our games, I think everybody will try to play a little harder so they can get recognized also."
- Jason Smith: 529-5804
