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Eli Cox Announces Return for Super Senior Season

Nick Roushby:Nick Roush11/28/23

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(Photo by Scott Utterback, Courier Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK)

Kentucky’s most experienced offensive lineman is sticking around for another season in Lexington. Eli Cox announced he will be back for the 2024 campaign.

In the midst of profound social media announcements to and from the transfer portal, the Kentucky interior offensive lineman took a different approach. It’s one that amuses this blogger.

“I’m gonna keep it short and simple.”

The Nicholasville native was an unheralded three-star prospect that has transformed into a vital piece of the Big Blue Wall. He has played in 42 games and tallied 34 career starts. Aside from a hand injury that derailed his 2021 season, a year where he earned Midseason All-American honors, he has appeared in the starting lineup for three straight seasons.

Cox has had to play a juggling act between two positions throughout his tenure. He earned his first starts at right guard. Ahead of the 2022 season he was tasked to move to the center position. Over the summer he moved back to right guard, but early season snapping and assignment issues from Jager Burton forced Liam Coen to move Cox back to center for the final eight games of the regular season.

This is a significant decision for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it limits the needs Kentucky must address later this month in the transfer portal. More importantly, Cox is a leader in the offensive line room. One of the last players to experience the John Schlarman era of Kentucky football, even when inconsistent play has popped up at times, Cox can be counted on to maintain the Cats’ blue collar culture in the trenches.

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