Joe Cox the New No. 1 Quarterback at Georgia

Joe Cox - GeorgiaDogs.com

With the early departure of quarterback Matthew Stafford to the NFL, Joe Cox is now the first string quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. Head coach Mark Richt told the AJC “I know right now that Joe Cox is No. 1 on the depth chart” and “somebody will have to knock him out of that box.”

Joe Cox a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a rising Senior. He played his high school football at Independence where he broke several passing records and won various awards, including being named to the 2004 Parade Magazine All-America Team and SuperPrep All-MidAtlantic Team. Cox was also named the 2004 Associated Press Prep Football Player of the Year for North Carolina and the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

In his three seasons as backup to Stafford, Cox has completed 33-of-58 attempts for 432 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. His best game was undoubtedly against Colorado at home in 2006. Trailing 13-7 with under a minute to play, Cox completed the game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass to Martrez Milner with 46 seconds left to play to beat Colorado 14-13.

Said to be a distant 2nd to Joe Cox is rising redshirt sophomore Logan Gray of Columbia, Missouri. Although Gray has yet to attempt a pass for the Dawgs, he has played on special teams where he returned 6 punts for 72 yards. Gray has also rushed 2 times for 22 yards.

Two other quarterbacks that will compete for playing time are Aaron Murray of Tampa, Florida and Zach Mettenberger of Watkinsville, Georgia. Both quarterbacks committed to Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs in 2008 and have enrolled early for the Spring Semester. Reports indicate that both recruits arrived at the UGA campus on Wednesday, thus making them eligble for Spring practice.

Related Links:

• Richt, Bobo Endorse Cox As QB – AJC.com
• Cox Gets His Shot At Starting Job – Macon.com
• Cox Gets His Shot – UGASports.com