Alabama tight ends coach Joe Cox to join Ole Miss staff
The coaching carousel has a domino effect for assistant coaches. And after Nick Saban announced his retirement a few weeks ago, Alabama hired Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer. So as the new man in Tuscaloosa puts his new staff together, there are some from the old staff who either get hired away or are not retained. On Sunday, Alabama tight ends coach Joe Cox was hired away.
Ole Miss announced it was adding Cox to its staff to replace former tight ends coach John David Baker. Baker just finished his third season at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin and also served as co-offensive coordinator for the past two years. He was the passing game coordinator when he first arrived in 2021. Baker was hired by East Carolina in December.
The newest staffer in Oxford, Miss., joined Saban’s his staff after spending one season serving the same position for the Charlotte 49ers. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Cox was the wide receivers coach for Will Muschamp at South Carolina in 2020. Before his time with the Gamecocks, he was a graduate assistant at Colorado State 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.
Joe Cox recruited the southeast primarily during his time at Alabama.
He was instrumental in the signings of several blue chip prospects during his time in Tuscaloosa. Here are a few notable names from the last few cycles:
- 5-star WR Jaime Ffrench (2025)
- 4-star WR Caleb Odom
- 4-star WR Amari Jefferson
- 4-star TE Ty Lockwood
- 4-star LB Cayden Jones
Cox was a huge part of Colorado State’s offense turning the corner when he was on staff in Fort Collins. The Rams’ offense 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, including a school-record 492.5 yards per game in 2017 (4th, 462.5 in 2016).
Prior to college, he worked in the North Carolina high school ranks. He was part of the coaching staff at Mallard Creek (N.C.) from 2013-14, helping the school win back-to-back state championships. He joined the staff in 2013 as quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014.
Joe Cox played at Georgia in the late 2000’s.
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. An offensive captain, Cox led the Bulldogs to a record of 8-5, and was named Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week for his five-touchdown, 375-yard performance at Arkansas. For his career, Cox completed 56 percent of his passes for 3,016 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Cox was the 2004 state of North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and AP Prep Player of the Year, and a Parade Magazine All-American at Independence (N.C.) High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia (2009).
