SportsLine wire reports
April 16, 1999

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Coming out of high school, Adam Cox was a highly sought after running back from Jasper in Walker County that Alabama is now thankful to have on its squad

As a senior Cox rushed for 1,364 yards and 17 touchdowns. Cox's 8.8 yards per carry average helped lead his team to a 8-2 regular season record as well as a trip to the state playoffs.

As a senior, Adam was named a PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American bringing forth an invitation to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game as well as scholarship offers from college football powerhouses alike. However, upon graduation Cox decided to play his college ball here at the University of Alabama, a decision he is very proud of.

"It's been great here," Cox said of his time spent here in Tuscaloosa. "The campus and the people add to the football experience and I don't think I would have been happier anywhere else."

But at first Cox admits his confidence was a little low.

"I GOT DOWN ON MYSELF FOR NOT getting to play running back," Cox said. "All I have ever done is play running back and it took a while to adjust to it all."

But the sign of a good team player is a guy who is willing to do anything for the good of the team.

With injuries and the lack of depth affecting the linebacker position, the Alabama coaching staff has been forced to transplant players to fill the void.

And such a situation has occurred with Cox.

With Travis Carroll on the mend, linebacker coaches Ellis Johnson and Jeff Rouzie have been forced to search the team for that possible perfect match, and that match has been Cox.

"Adam is a good athlete with a lot of speed," Coach Rouzie said of the former running back. "And we're happy to have him over here."

BUT THE MOVE OVER FOR ADAM hasn't always been a smooth one. " Some days are good, some aren't so good," Cox said. "But I'm learning."

The surprising thing has been the fact that this is the first time Cox has ever played defense. "I have never played defense before," Cox said. "This has all been a new experience for me."

Cox's move to defense has obviously added a new dimension to the team.

With the addition of Cox the team speed has increased dramatically.

This was evident in last Saturday's scrimmage which saw the defense shut the door on the offense.

"It wasn't that the offense was that bad,"Cox said of the scrimmage. "It's just that we were just that much better."

SO WHEN ASKED WHO HAS BEEN impressive this spring Adam was not hesitant in mentioning Shaun Bohanon.

"Shaun doesn't appear that fast, but this spring he has pulled these moves no one has ever seen before out of some magic box or something," Cox said of the Tennessee native. "He has been very impressive to me."

So the question remains - how will this team be compared to other Tide teams of the past?

" I think we are going to be more physical and intense," Cox said. "But our goals as a team should be the goals that Coach DuBose is preaching."

With the talented freshman class only months away from suiting up, the addition of Adam Cox to compliment Travis Carrol, Marvin Constant and Canary Knight, brings the speed this team needs to get back on track.

And if Alabama is going to make a run for the National Championship, a strong, fast defense is a key to the future of University of Alabama football.