Cox switch to defense was for the best

Pitt junior Torrie Cox can't help but look over on the other side of the ball and ask himself some questions.

Among the most prominent are:

R Did he make the right decision by moving from tailback to cornerback last season•

R Did he lose out on the opportunity to be the No. 1 tailback for the Panthers in the fall, considering Kevan Barlow and Nick Goings are gone and that Pitt does not have an experienced tailback on the roster•

R Did he walk away from a position where he could have been a headliner, a star•

'This was very hard for me, definitely,' said Cox, who rushed for 62 yards on 26 carries as a freshman and for six yards on three carries last season before making the switch to defense at midseason. 'I think I can help on offense, I think I could be a great runner at tailback. But I had to think about my future, and the best move for me was to go to defense.

'Let's face it, there aren't too many backs in the NFL my size (5-foot-10, 185 pounds), but there are a lot of cornerbacks built like me. I just think this is the best in the long run. I might still think about running the ball, but I know I'm in the right place.'

Despite his commitment to defense, it is hard to believe that Cox couldn't be a key contributor on offense next season, considering Pitt has only two tailbacks working out at spring drills - untested freshmen Malcolm Postell and Mike Jemison - and six more coming this fall, all of whom are still in high school.

Unlike Cox, none of those players has carried the ball in a college game, which is why there was some talk this offseason about maneuvering Cox again.

'We thought about possibly moving him back, but Torrie felt the switch to defense was best for him and we respect that,' Pitt coach Walt Harris said. 'And he has the potential to be great over there.'

Cox showed flashes of his defensive skills last fall, particularly in the regular-season finale against West Virginia, when he amassed nine tackles and two pass breakups. Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, who pushed for Cox to join the defense, feels Cox can be a first-rate cornerback, possibly as soon as next season.

'He's a natural athlete, and he played 90 percent on that last season,' Rhoads said. 'He didn't know the little ins and outs, he simply just reacted like great athletes do. Now, he understands the concepts and techniques that are needed to play the position the right way. And when you add in his speed and agility - two things that I can't teach - you're talking about a guy who can make an impact.'

Cox's best assets are his footwork - he changes direction like few can - his speed - he's been timed at a true 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash - and his hitting ability - he's been dishing out nasty licks at spring practice.

Add in the fact that he's a natural playmaker, a guy who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and it's easy to understand why Rhoads raves about the junior from Miami.

'He's a competitor, and I mean that in every sense of the word,' Rhoads said of Cox, who returned five kickoffs for an average of 35.2 yards last season, including one for an 86-yard touchdown. 'I don't care if he's doing a drill for us or playing Nintendo, he wants to beat you. That's the kind of guys we need.'

Cox will likely rotate at cornerback with junior Shawn Robinson (six interceptions last season), and sophomores Shawntae Spencer and William 'Tutu' Ferguson next fall. It is the same rotation Rhoads used last season.

'I don't care if I'm the starter, just as long as I'm playing,' Cox said. 'The goal is to win. And I want to contribute to a winning team.'

Cox learned enough about winning at Miami Northwestern High, a school he attended with fellow Pitt teammate and reigning Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver, Antonio Bryant. Cox was the star of Northwestern's state title team in 1998, while Bryant played second fiddle.

Cox led Dade County in rushing with more than 1,500 yards and was the talk of the town, the kid that everybody wanted to be friends with.

'Back home, I was the guy,' said Cox, who sports six golden teeth across the top of his mouth. 'People would say, 'Here comes Cox. Here comes Cox.' I was just known as Cox. And when they said my name, you knew it was me.'

But Cox earned that reputation as a running back.

'That's all right,' he said. 'I'll just have to prove myself at cornerback now. Don't worry, I'm gonna get the job done.'