Why Kentucky’s ‘teddy bear’ might be an even more important transfer than Devin Leary

As Kentucky football prepares for its 2023 season opener against Ball State, Mark Stoops’ deep respect for Mid-American Conference programs has become a talking point again.

But UK players only have to look to their own locker room for evidence of the quality of players in the MAC.

That’s where the Wildcats’ new left tackle, Marques Cox, played last season at Northern Illinois.

“I’ve always just been very impressed,” Stoops said of Cox. “A guy that kind of handles himself like a man. He goes about his business. He has a very good presence about him, very good confidence.

“I wouldn’t say cocky, but he has a confidence about him that he can get it done. I like the way he handles himself a lot.”

There is an argument to be made that Cox was the most important of Kentucky’s 13 scholarship transfer portal additions, even more so than star quarterback Devin Leary since it is unlikely Leary would have committed to Kentucky without evidence the staff had addressed the 2022 offensive line struggles.

Adding Cox at left tackle allowed super senior Kenneth Horsey to move back to his natural left guard position. Settling the left tackle job by the time spring practice started meant at least four starters were locked in on the offensive line.

The Athletic recently ranked Cox the fifth-best senior offensive tackle prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class, but he has brought more than on-field production to the Kentucky locker room.

“He’s so consistent,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said. “His attitude, his effort, the way he comes out every single day, his enthusiasm with the guys. He’s fun to be around. … He’s always smiling, always joking, always messing around, but he’s serious about football.”

If not for a string of bad injury luck, Cox might not have been available to help rebuild Kentucky’s offensive line.

Cox tore his ACL in the state semifinals as a junior at Peoria High School in Illinois. He played through that injury in the state championship game but lost his only Power Five scholarship offer (Iowa State).

After landing at Northern Illinois, Cox was on his way to a 2023 NFL Draft selection, but he suffered a season-ending foot injury playing against Kentucky in Week 4 last season. Needing to rehab the injury anyway, Cox decided to transfer to a Power Five program where he could prove himself against better competition.

“I always believed I could play at this level,” Cox said. “Growing up, a lot of people would say I was going to play in the SEC. Just being at this level right now is a blessing. I’m highly grateful being here today.”

Kentucky gained a first-hand view of Cox’s talent while preparing to face Northern Illinois last season. When recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow was notified by two scout contacts there was a MAC offensive tackle in the transfer portal who might have been drafted if he had been healthy, a review of Cox’s play against Kentucky before his injury was enough to sell the staff on his potential.

“We knew immediately we wanted him,” Marrow said. “I thought it was going to be real easy, slam dunk. Get in touch with him and the next thing I know Ohio State, Oklahoma, all these other schools are trying to get him because he was probably at the time the No. 1 left tackle in the portal. But he came, and his parents saw this was a good culture here.”

Cox saw enough on his visit to Lexington in December to commit to UK without visiting other schools that were interested. Five days later, Leary followed him in pledging to the Wildcats.

Asked on the final day of spring practice for the players he had been most impressed with, Coen listed Cox among the early standouts. That strong first impression carried over into the summer and preseason camp as Cox took on a greater leadership role in the offensive line room.

He gained an admirer in edge rusher J.J. Weaver. The pair put in extra one-on-one battles to hone their craft and spent time critiquing the moves they planned to use against SEC opponents.

“He’s so dynamic really,” Weaver said. “He can change his set-ups any time. He’s physical. … We’re going to make each other great.”

Cox’s physicality and professionalism on the field are balanced by an affable personality off it that led running back Ray Davis to call him a “teddy bear.”

If Kentucky’s new teddy bear left tackle’s preseason praise carries over into actual games, he might end up being the Wildcats’ most important transfer portal addition after all.

“We were very fortunate,” offensive line coach Zach Yenser said. “Marques just being a really good football player but also just the type of human being he is. He just kind of fits. He would be a guy that Coach Stoops and Coach (John) Schlarman would have recruited back in the day.”

2023 UK season opener

Ball State at Kentucky

When: Noon Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

2022 records: Ball State 5-7 (3-5 MAC), Kentucky 7-6 (3-5 SEC)

Series: Kentucky leads 1-0

Last meeting: Kentucky won 28-20 on Sept. 8, 2001, in Lexington

This story was originally published August 30, 2023 at 10:27 AM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription