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New Mexico: One of the best pure football players on the squad, he successfully bounced back from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2014 season … a two-time team captain … a 2014 and 2015 Mountain West All-Academic selection … a 2014-15 Lobo Scholar-Athlete … named to the first team All-Mountain West preseason team by collegefootballpreseason.com and second team by Phil Steele and Athlon Sports … can become the first Lobo in school history to lead the team in tackles four straight seasons.
2015 (Junior Season): Led the Lobos in total tackles for the third consecutive season, recording 97 along with a career-high 5.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss … also added a pass break up, two quarterback hurries and an interception … earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors … recorded double-digit tackles in a game three times … had a season-high 12 tackles against Tulsa with a half-tackle for loss and a pass break up … had a stat-stuffing game at Wyoming, recording eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception that led to the clinching field goal in a 38-28 win … had a solid game with seven tackles against New Mexico State … added 11 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss against Hawai’i … followed that up with nine tackles against San Jose State and another tackle for loss … had his final double-digit tackle game in the regular season finale against Air Force with 10 tackles and a sack, one of only two allowed by Air Force all season … recorded eight tackles in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl against Arizona.
2014 (Sophomore Season): Led the Lobos in total tackles with 116, as well as lead the NCAA in tackles per game … averaged 12.9 tackles per game while participating in nine games during his sophomore season … also had 2.0 tackles for loss (7 yards), two quarterback hurries, two passes broken up, an interception and a fumble recovery … recorded double-digit tackles in seven of his nine games … was a First Team All-Mountain West selection at middle linebacker, despite missing the final three games … named MW Defensive Player of the Week following his 18 tackle, one interception performance against New Mexico State, helping the Lobos win the Rio Grande Rivalry … his interception spoiled an NMSU red zone opportunity, and he broke up a long pass attmept on the final drive of the game … he followed up that performance with a career-high 19 tackles the following week against Fresno State … actually opened up the season with a then-career-high 17 tackles against UTEP … had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery against SDSU … recored 14 tackles, one for a loss against Boise State, but saw his season end late in the fouth quarter with a torn ACL … was named First Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District VII in 2014.
2013 (Freshman Season): Earned Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American honors … became the first freshman in 20 seasons to lead the Lobos in tackles with 99 during 2013 — linebacker Blake Irwin led UNM in tackles as a freshman in 1994 … averaged 10.3 tackles per game when he became a starter in week four vs. UNLV. … averaged 12.6 tackles per game during his last five games of the season … career highs in tackles came in back-to-back games at San Diego State and at home vs. Air Force … had a career-high nine solo tackles as part of a 13-tackle effort in the season finale at Boise State.
High School: Named first-team All-State as a senior by both the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune after compiling 147 tackles and four sacks on defense and 446 total yards and eight touchdowns in only 26 touches on offense for head coach John Colosimo … team captain as a senior … named Region 10 MVP and first team All-State after junior year … had 92 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and five offensive touchdowns as a junior … two-time state champion, four-year letterman, and four-time region champion … finished career with 286 tackles, five sacks, and three interceptions on defense, and 32 receptions for 605 yards and 10 TDs and 19 carries for 164 yards and two TDs on offense … honor roll student every semester in high school, finishing with a 3.92 GPA … also played varsity ice hockey (2009, 2010) and ran track (2011, 2012) … member of the national honor society.
Personal: Full name is Dakota Mitchell Cox … born Nov. 5, 1994 in Sandy, Utah … son of Tom Cox and Sherri Cox … honor roll student every semester in high school, finishing with a 3.92 GPA … also played varsity ice hockey (2009, 2010) and ran track (2011, 2012) … father played football at USC from 1981-85 and was the starting center in both the ‘84 and ‘85 seasons … member of the national honor society … favorite movie is Friday Night Lights and favorite food is BBQ pulled pork … favorite athlete is former Lobo great Brian Urlacher, whom he got to meet when UNM retired Urlacher’s number on Nov. 8, 2013 at University Stadium … graduated with a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance … currently working on his master’s in sports administration.