Former 4-star set to join Rebels

There's probably not another Patrick Willis among Ole Miss head football coach Ed Orgeron's linebacker prospects, but where Orgeron's efforts can't be faulted is bringing in an abundance of candidates.

Willis, along with outside linebacker Rory Johnson, accounted for more than 225 tackles last season. Now, with both gone, Orgeron faces the daunting task of not only replacing the duo, but also finding a replacement for former Mississippi player of the year, Garry Pack, who was dismissed midway through last season.

With those three gone, what has Orgeron done to rebuild the linebacker corps? A lot!

It starts with junior college all-American Anthony Fein, who at 6-foot-3, 245 is a Willis look-alike without the speed or experience. Two more JUCOs are in the mix in Ashlee Palmer, a former Washington signee, and Lamar Brumfield, a former Washington State signee.

Adding to the mix are high school prospects Scottie Williams, Fon Ingram, and Isaiah Smith. Throw in upperclassmen Antonio Turner and Brandon Thomas, along with JUCO transfer Jamie Phillips, who came out atop the depth chart in the spring, and there's no shortage of players.

Now, Orgeorn has one more possible fix at linebacker – former Rivals.com four-star linebacker Todd Cox, who signed with Tennessee out of high school in 2005.

It's been a long journey for Cox, but he appears set to be on the Rebels roster when players report early next month.

After signing with Tennessee in 2005, Cox, who played at Harding Academy in Memphis, failed to qualify – a situation he attributes to his high school improperly submitting his paperwork to the NCAA clearinghouse. When he failed to qualify, he enrolled at Pearl River C.C. and played in two games in the fall of 2005 before deciding to redshirt the remainder of the season.

In January after his semester at Pearl River, Cox's name surfaced again on the recruiting radar screen when he verbally committed to Ole Miss. However, when it became apparent that he wasn't going to get his clearance resolved with the NCAA clearinghouse, he enrolled at Northwest C.C. in January 2006.

He went through spring practice with the Rangers that spring, but reported in late and was not one of the eight out of state players that head coach Randy Pippen elected to retain on his roster.

Still, Cox remained committed to finishing his associate's degree and pursue a dream of playing football at the Division I level.

"I've always felt comfortable with Ole Miss," Cox said Monday evening. "Coach O recruited me and offered me when he was at USC. When he got to Ole Miss, he was still after me, but I signed with Tennessee. I got back in contact with him and everything has been worked out."

Cox skipped attending fall classes in the fall of 2006 – had he taken a full load (12 semester hours or more) – it would have cost him another year of eligibility whether he played football or not.

He re-enrolled last January at Northwest and after attending classes in the spring and this summer has met the NCAA requirement of graduating from JUCO which makes him eligible to compete at the Division I level.

"I had my transcripts and everything sent Monday," Cox said. "I've received my diploma for my AA and everything should be good to go."

Cox still has one hurdle to overcome. He's not been signed, rather will report as a preferred walk-on – meaning he can become part of the team when all players report on Aug. 4. Uninvited walk-ons can't join the team until classes begin.

Cox says that Ole Miss has promised a scholarship as soon as one becomes available and feels the situation with the Rebels is ideal for him.

"I've talked with coach (Hugh) Freeze and he says I'll definitely be on the field," Cox said. "There's a bunch of young guys down there and my age and experience should help."

Cox turns 21 on Aug. 20.

There's no doubt that Cox was a hot-shot recruit three years ago. He had offers from USC, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State along with Ole Miss, and Tennessee, where he eventually signed.

The 6-foot-2 Cox is up to 215 pounds from his 195 pound high school weight. He was clocked at 4.45 in the 40-yard dash in high school and says that's slipped to about 4.48 now, but he feels the speed will return.

He's spent the summer working out at his high school, running and lifting. He plans to arrive in Oxford a couple of days before workouts begin.

Whether Cox contributes or not remains to be seen, but it's clear Orgeron has added yet another impressive athlete to address the linebacker situation.

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