When Jabril Cox entered the transfer portal, he knew there would be interest. The 6-foot-4 231-pound linebacker won three straight FCS National Championships with North Dakota State while posting huge numbers for the Bison.
The two-time FCS All-American tallied 258 tackles, 32 for a loss, 14 sacks and six interceptions. Still, he was surprised to hear from Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff.
“I never thought that LSU, one of the main schools, especially winning a championship, would come calling,” Cox said. “But when they did, I did a deeper dive into the depth chart and the coaches, started talking to them and just seeing what they needed, and I felt that it was going to be one of the best fits for me.”
Cox signed with the Tigers this past Spring, despite not visiting the campus. But that “leap of faith” seems to be working out as the linebacker is poised to make a huge impact for LSU’s defense.
Orgeron heaped praise on the senior since the beginning of fall camp and expects Cox to start alongside Damone Clark, when the Tigers open their SEC-only schedule with Mississippi State Sept. 26 in Tiger Stadium.
The opportunity to compete for a starting position was one of the reasons Cox chose to come to LSU.
“During the process, I saw that they had three linebackers go to the (NFL),” Cox said. “So right there, off the bat, it was an eye-opening thing for me, that I could come in and compete and try to win the starting spot.”
Patrick Queen and Jacob Phillips, who both started for the Tigers last season, were taken in the 2020 NFL Draft. And, Michael Divinity, who missed part of the season, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Even with several snaps up for grabs, Cox said he didn’t expect to just be given the starting job.
“I just felt I had to prove myself coming from a smaller school and going to the SEC,” he said. “It’s a different ball game. There are going to be a lot of doubters, a lot of people saying he’s not ready."
“And just each day, (I’m) just trying to be the best that I can and that’s starting in practice. And the coaching staff and the players, they’ve helped me a lot and helped me progress and become the best athlete I can be.”
Cox says he’s excited to play in Pelini’s scheme and alongside LSU’s other talented linebackers, like Clark and Micah Baskerville.
“At the FCS level, I would always have to worry about them trying to double me or trying to go opposite where I’m covering, but here I know there’s a lot of athletes on the field and they are not just going to pick on one person, so you got to win your one-on-ones,” he said.
Cox described his game as “finesse” explaining that he liked to play out in the open using his speed and length to his advantage. He said his goal is to show that he’s able to play in the box and be a physical linebacker.
To do that, he’s focusing on a lesson he learned while at NDSU, and working hard.
“The work ethic,” he said. “Getting better, one percent each day. That’s something I took from NDSU and brought it here, hard work. If you’re a hard worker that’s going to go a long way and that’s helped me.”
