Alabama Football Officially Welcomes Joe Cox to Coaching Staff

The Crimson Tide formally announced the hiring of Cox as the team's new tight ends coach.

Photo | Kevin Lytle/The Coloradoan via Imagn Content Services, LLC

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football officially announced the hiring of Joe Cox as its new tight ends coach in a statement released on Monday afternoon.

Cox joins head coach Nick Saban and his staff in Tuscaloosa after spending one season serving the same position for the Charlotte 49ers.

“I’m beyond excited to join a program with this type of tradition and commitment to excellence,” Cox said in a statement. “It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to work for and learn from Coach Saban. I can’t wait to get to work with this staff and the young men on this football team.”

Prior to his time in Charlotte, Cox was the wide receivers coach under head coach Will Muschamp at South Carolina in 2020. Before that, he served as graduate assistant for the Colorado Rams starting in 2015. After one season, he was then promoted to tight ends coach, where he worked for three seasons. In his final year with the Rams, he worked as the team's receivers coach.

"We are excited to add Joe Cox to our staff to coach tight ends,” Saban said in a statement. “Joe is an outstanding young coach who possesses extensive experience coaching tight ends. He has tremendous enthusiasm for teaching the game of football and is a great recruiter who works tirelessly at his craft.”

Here is the full press release sent out by Alabama Athletics:

Joe Cox Added to the Alabama Football Coaching Staff

Cox will coach tight ends for the Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced the addition of Joe Cox to the Crimson Tide staff on Monday as the tight ends coach.

"We are excited to add Joe Cox to our staff to coach tight ends,” Saban said. “Joe is an outstanding young coach who possesses extensive experience coaching tight ends. He has tremendous enthusiasm for teaching the game of football and is a great recruiter who works tirelessly at his craft.”

Cox arrives in Tuscaloosa after one season coaching tight ends for his hometown Charlotte 49ers. He inherits a tight end room led by redshirt senior Cameron Latu.

“I’m beyond excited to join a program with this type of tradition and commitment to excellence,” Cox said. “It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to work for and learn from Coach Saban. I can’t wait to get to work with this staff and the young men on this football team.”

Cox spent the 2020 season coaching wide receivers on Will Muschamp’s staff at South Carolina. USC’s receivers were led by Shi Smith, who hauled in 57 receptions for 644 yards and a team-high four touchdowns in only nine games.

Prior to his time in Columbia, S.C., Cox spent five years at Colorado State on the staff beginning as a graduate assistant in 2015 and then coaching tight ends for three seasons (2016-18) and wide receivers in his final year in Fort Collins in 2019.

He helped propel a Rams’ offense that turned in some of the most productive seasons in school history. CSU posted two of the top five scoring seasons in school history (3rd—35.3 in 2016 and 5th—33.4 in 2017) and two of the top four marks for total offense with Cox on the staff, including a school-record 492.5 yards per game in 2017 (4th, 462.5 in 2016).

Cox was part of the coaching staff at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, N.C., from 2013-14, helping the school win back-to-back state championships. He joined the Mallard Creek staff in 2013 as quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014.

As Georgia’s starting quarterback and offensive captain in 2009, Cox completed 185-of-331 pass attempts for 2,584 yards and 24 touchdowns, at the time the second-best single-season total in UGA history. He was the 2004 state of North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and Associated Press Prep Player of the Year along with being named a Parade Magazine All-American at Independence (N.C.) High School.

Cox and his wife, Erica, were married in March 2016 and have one daughter, Avery, and twin boys Jace and Tate.

While appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms and conditions of this proposed appointment, the financial terms remain subject to approval by The Board of Trustees.

Welcome to Tuscaloosa, @CoachJoeCox https://t.co/3K7FpQxrKo#BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/doX1w3lihR

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) February 14, 2022