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Illinois football signee Tywan Cox beats Olympic gold medalist at Florida Relays

hunterby: Hunter Shelton04/06/25HunterShelton_
Tywan Cox
(Photo courtesy Chuck Bethel)

Tywan Cox continues to showcase his elite speed. The Illinois football signee made a major splash this weekend at the Florida Relays.

The 5-foot-9.5, 165-pound Miami Northwestern star guided his school to an upset 4×400 relay win over Bullis (Md.), which was anchored by Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson.

Keeping his ground with the Team USA sensation, Cox found a giant surge of energy down the final stretch and landed a comfortable first-place finish, shocking many in attendance:

According to EssentiallySports.com, Cox clocked in with a 45.14-second finish. The impressive showing will have fans in Champaign eagerly awaiting the defensive back’s arrival.

The track star also won a Florida high school football state championship in 2024, playing under NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who took over as the Bulls’ head coach last season. Northwestern was the No. 6 team in the state, per the On3 Composite Rankings.

Cox finished the 2025 recruiting cycle as the No. 760 overall prospect and No. 62 safety, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was also the No. 95 player in Florida.

Originally committed to in-state USF, Cox flipped his commitment to Illinois on Nov. 4. He took an official visit to Champaign and switched his pledge to head coach Bret Bielema and the Illini not long after. He is the younger brother of Illinois DB and fellow speedster Torrie Cox Jr. Their father, Torrie Sr., played five seasons in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tywan was one of 22 high school prospects to ink with the Big Ten program. Illinois’ class ranked No. 44 in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.