Pulaski County High coach breaks down Tristan Cox

Linebackers are a priority in Purdue's Class of 2021. And it got a good one with the recent commitment of Tristan Cox of Pulaski County High in Kentucky.

Cox joins offensive lineman Jaelin Alstott-VandeVanter, wide receiver Preston Terrell and cornerback Brandon Calloway as part of Purdue's 2021 class to date.

Cox is a big linebacker who projects to play the "Cat" position in the Boilermakers' 3-4 scheme being installed by new coordinator Bob Diaco.

Pulaski County High--a 5A school in a six-class Kentucky system--is located in Somerset, Ky., in the southeast part of the state. It is west off I-75 not far from the Tennessee border. It’s a rural community dominated by farming and coal mining. Lake Cumberland is a big attraction for tourists.

GoldandBlack.com spoke to Cox’s high school coach John Hines to get the skinny on the Boilermakers’ latest commitment.

GoldandBlack.com: Describe Tristan as a player?

Hines: He's a big, strong kid. About 6-3, weighs 230 pounds, a 4.8 guy in the 40. He can do a lot of stuff on the football field. He's primarily a linebacker for us, and a running back, too. Tristan grew up in our system as a running back. He can play a lot of positions. He’s played tight end, as well, he’s got good hands, runs good routes. We've used him as an edge rusher. He's really a multiple-gifted-type of kid that can play a lot of stuff.

GoldandBlack.com: Is he still your main ballcarrier?

Hines: Unfortunately, we were trying to rest him the last couple of seasons as much as we could on the offensive side. And we've had some injuries to some running backs, so he's had to carry the load more than we had planned. We use him in a lot of ways offensively. He’s our feature back. We used him as an extra tight end and like an H-back. And he'll also play wildcat quarterback for us, as well.

GoldandBlack.com: What are his strength and speed like?

Hines: He’s terrific. He's a hard worker in the weight room. He’s a 300-pound bench-press guy. His parallel squat is somewhere close to 500. Like I said, he’s a 4.8 guy in the 40. He's a big kid who can really move. He’s very agile. His lateral movement is very good. He’s just a really, really nice athlete to be the size that he is.

GoldandBlack.com: What type of a school is Pulaski County?

Hines: We are rural county school. We don't have a lot of tremendous talent. To give you some perspective, Tristen is only the third player we've ever had offered a Division I scholarship while he was in high school. We don't have a lot of players like him. We send a lot of kids to the NAIA level, Division III football. But he's a fantastic player and a fine young man.

GoldandBlack.com: Were you surprised he picked Purdue?

Hines: A little bit. He was offered by several schools. And, of course, around here, everybody's a UK fan. Kentucky was one of the first ones to offer. But Tristan just always loved Purdue, from the time he visited there. He had an official visit some time ago, and I think he first went to a camp up there the summer before his junior season. And he really, really liked it. They really liked him. I think from that point on, it was his favorite all along. He really didn't say much about it. He entertained all the offers and, you know, was very cordial about everything, but I think Purdue was his favorite all along.

GoldandBlack.com: What’s your relationship like with Jeff Brohm?

Hines: Yeah, he's a great guy. I’m high on all the staff. Most all of them have been down here to see Tristan at some point over the last year or so to watch him work out and watch him practice. Coach Brohm has been here. Brian Brohm was with him, Coach (Chris) Barclay. Even the new defensive coordinator (Bob Diaco). He was down here. They've really shown a lot of interest in him. They really had him high on their list. And, like I said, he just always loved Purdue. He really did, from the first time he visited. He always talked about it and was very excited about it. So, I'm not surprised, I guess, that he chose Purdue. But most kids that grow up around here end up going local. So, it’s surprising in that sense. But I guess that's Coach Brohm coming back to Kentucky and stealing one.

GoldandBlack.com: Does he play other sports?

Hines: He runs track. He throws the shot put and discus and runs on some of the sprint relay teams. And, actually, he was a swimmer on our high school swim team, as well, which is a little bit of a surprise. He could have been a basketball player. I don't know what happened there, but he could have been a good basketball player, too.

GoldandBlack.com: What do his parents do?

Hines: Very good folks. Mom’s a teacher in an elementary school. Dad has just recently retired. He was a federal agent with Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. And he's got two older brothers who both played for us. Oldest brother Caleb had a chance to play small-college ball but decided not to. The other brother, Cullen, is currently playing at Lindsey Wilson College, an NAIA school in Kentucky.

GoldandBlack.com: It sounds like Tristan will graduate high school early and enroll at Purdue in January 2021.

Hines: That’s the plan. I hope everything's in order, and I think it will be on our end, but we've never had anyone do that before. And, of course, with the school being out for coronavirus scare, everything’s kind of shaky right now. But I'm sure we're gonna be able to get that done. He’s a good student, very strong with a 3.5 GPA. Strong on all the tests.

GoldandBlack.com: How did your team do last year?

Hines: We went 7-4. It was very disappointing. We had a good team and we had some injuries toward the end of the year and got knocked out early in the playoffs. We had hoped to make a deeper run. The previous year, we won the region and went to the final four. We thought we could do that again and we lost a quarterback and our two best receivers and really kind of struggled down the stretch.

We have chance to have good team this season. We have a very small senior class. Tristan is one of only eight seniors. So, we have a lot of young kids that have to grow up fast, but we've got some talent. Our quarterback is outstanding. He’s coming back off shoulder surgery. Things look good for him. We've got a chance to have a good team. And Tristan is a big part of it.

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