Kirby Smart didn’t have a lot to say Saturday about Brent Cox and his decision to transfer to Florida.
The sophomore who was a 5-star recruit in the 2018 class entered the transfer portal Monday, right before the Bulldogs’ fourth practice of the preseason. By Friday he was on the Gators’ roster wearing a No. 6 jersey.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Smart how much of a concern that might be, considering Cox was eight months into Georgia's 2019 playbook and four days into preseason camp when he decided to bolt for the campus of an SEC Eastern Division rival.
“Concerns? I don’t know about that,” Smart said following the Bulldogs’ thunderstorm-shortened scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. “Brenton chose to withdraw from the University of Georgia, going into the portal. He’s now at another SEC institution, so we wish him nothing but the best, and we appreciate his contributions while he was here.”
About Cox specifically, there was no further discussion. About outside linebacker, the position Cox plays, Smart indicated the Bulldogs will be just fine.
“We have one of them on the field on most snaps. If we have one of them on the field and there’s six of them, I wish we were that deep at every position,” Smart said. “Sometimes we get two of them in regular (base defense), but not a lot of people play regular anymore. We sometimes get two of them in on third down. We sometimes get two of them when people are in large sets. It’s probably the most under-utilized position. ... They have to take more snaps on special teams.”
Meanwhile, there appears to be no hard feelings among Cox's former teammates.
“That's my brother; I love him so much,” redshirt freshman Azeez Ojulari said Thursday. “I wish him the best of luck.”
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