Cox played high school football at Jeannette Senior High School in Jeannette, Pennsylvania and was a three-year starter. He completed 55 of 88 passes for 698 yards and 4 touchdowns while also rushing for 621 yards and 12 touchdowns his junior year in 2010. He also recorded 55 tackles and 3 interceptions in 2010. Cox completed 62 of 106 passes for 910 yards and 9 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,263 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior year in 2011. He also recorded 63 tackles and 3 interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, in 2011. Jeannette had a 12–1 record and advanced to the state championship game in 2011. He was named an All-American by SuperPrep, MaxPreps and PrepStar. Cox also played basketball at Jeannette and scored over 1,000 career points. He averaged 18 points per game his junior season, earning All-Conference honors.[1]
He played in 14 games in 2013, recording 3 solo tackles and 3 tackle assists. He played in 13 games, starting 1, in 2014, totaling 19 solo tackles, 7 tackle assists, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. His one start was at cornerback. Cox played in 14 games, all starts, in 2015, recording 48 solo tackles, 31 tackle assists, 7 pass breakups, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery which was returned for a touchdown. He started eight games at cornerback and six at safety. He was named Third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media. Cox played in ten games, all starts at free safety, in 2016, totaling 21 solo tackles, 34 tackle assists, 5 pass breakups and 1 interception which was returned for a touchdown. He was one of three team captains in 2016.
He played in 51 games, starting 25, during his college career, recording 91 solo tackles, 75 tackle assists, 1 sack, 14 pass breakups, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumbled, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 touchdowns. He graduated from Michigan State in May 2016 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies in social science.[1]
Professional career
Cox was rated the 12th best free safety in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[2]
Cox signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017.[3] He was waived on September 2, 2017.[3]
Carolina Panthers
On September 3, 2017, Cox was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers.[4] He was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2017, with an ankle injury.[5]
On August 31, 2018, Cox was waived by the Panthers.[6]
Arizona Cardinals
On September 3, 2018, Cox was signed to the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad.[7] He was released on October 2, 2018.[8]
Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)
On October 10, 2018, Cox was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.[9] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals on December 31, 2018.[10] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[11]
New York Guardians
Cox was drafted in the 5th round during phase four in the 2020 XFL Draft by the New York Guardians.[12] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[13]
^ ab"Demetrious Cox"(PDF). grfx.cstv.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ab"Demetrious Cox". NFLDraftScout.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ab"Transactions". bengals.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)