Watch List: 2027 TE Eli Cox
Rochester (Ill) junior tight end prospect Eli Cox (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) is coming off a strong 2025 junior season for the Rockets and head coach Derek Leonard. Cox, who is a dual sport athlete for Rochester High School checks in and updates his latest football recruiting news and much more. Get to know this latest name to watch in the State of Illinois Class of 2027 here.
“Right now I’m in the middle of my basketball season this winter,” Cox said. “Once the basketball season ends my main focus this coming spring will be on lifting and training for football. I’ll also be going to several football camps this spring and summer.”
More recruiting interest is ahead
“I was able to make a game day visit this past season to Iowa. and that was a very good experience. I was able to just see everything up close and in person at Iowa. The overall atmosphere at Iowa was fun and it was just a great learning experience. The Iowa coaches want me to come back again soon for a visit. They also want to see me at a camp this summer.”
“Besides Iowa, I’ve also been getting interest and follows from the coaches at Illinois, NIU, Northwestern, Ball State, Marshall along with Minnesota. I did receiver a few other game day invites but Iowa was the only school I was able to visit. Our coaches at school have said we should start seeing more college coaches in school sometime soon.”
Off season plans
Cox was asked to grade his on the field performance from the 2025 season along with his off season plans.
“Overall I felt good about my junior season. I was able to improve my overall blocking and that I made the most out of my opportunities. I also played both ways last season and that was also a good learning experience for me. I need to improve my overall yards after the catch along with continuing to improve my blocking. I love playing tight end it allows me to play much more physical football.”
Look for the Rockets to once again be one of the top teams to watch in Class 4A for the 2026 season.
“We had a very young team this past season and we bring back a lot of starters. Everyone is working hard and the focus will be on winning a state title next season.”