Cox enjoying new opportunities at KU

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas receiver Nahzae Cox participates in Kansas football's spring practice on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Lawrence.

Wide receiver Nahzae Cox had a lot to learn about the Kansas football program when he got recruited by the Jayhawks in the transfer portal this winter.

Sure, he knew about KU basketball, having grown up watching players like Devonte’ Graham and Ben McLemore. And he had even tuned in for a KU-Colorado game in 2024 — “Everybody was watching Colorado at a point,” he said — back when he was at Fresno City College. The Jayhawks ended up winning that one.

But he didn’t know an important piece of information about KU’s new associate head coach (and old offensive coordinator) Andy Kotelnicki.

“The crazy part is I never knew he was the Penn State OC,” Cox said. “Like, I didn’t know that. But once I started doing research, I’m like, ‘Man.’ Because I was playing ‘NCAA’ (the video game), and I’m like, ‘Dang, these plays is crazy.’ I thought they was just created on there or something.”

And then, when he came to Lawrence and got KU’s actual playbook …

“I’m like, ‘Dang, we got a lot of motion shifts, a lot of people having to play different spots,'” he said. “Like, we’re moved around, like this is the most I’ve been moved around my whole career.”

It’s certainly been a lot to learn for Cox, especially because when he was at Middle Tennessee he operated primarily off of signals and this is the first time in college he’s had to huddle up to get a play call. But it’s also his fourth year and he’s seen a lot — and wants to see more.

“This is something you got to get ready for to get to the NFL,” Cox said. “This is something that you got to prepare for.”

KU wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel described Cox as “eager to learn.” That’s a high-quality trait, especially when it exists inside of a 6-foot-3 body.

“He brings size (for) the 50/50 ball, he’s aggressive,” Samuel said. “He has some of the skill sets, what LJ (Arnold) had, and that fits in our offense. We need a guy that has some size, that can be physical, and he’s that guy. So we’re looking forward to continuing to develop him.”

Quarterback Isaiah Marshall, one of two primary contenders for the Jayhawks’ starting job, said he trusts Cox.

“Nahzae’s a big target, so if I put it anywhere he’s going to go and grab the ball,” he said.

Cox went to Middle Tennessee in 2025 after catching 23 passes for 562 yards as a sophomore at Fresno City College. With the Blue Raiders, he transferred that productivity to the next level with 40 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns.

“I felt like I was better than the league that I was playing in,” Cox said. “I was kind of underrecruited and everything like that, which was fine — it made me work harder. But I felt like I just wanted to go somewhere bigger.”

Samuel was eager to reel Cox in when he was in the portal. Cox said the coach messaged him on X, “I’m going to come get you.”

Maryland, Michigan State and Oklahoma State were interested, too. In fact, Cox was on his way back from his MSU visit when he connected with Samuel over the phone. They talked about whether he could take hard coaching.

“And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I’ve been getting my whole life,'” Cox said. “So I feel like that was like the fit right there.”

Cox said repeatedly that KU’s pitch to him stressed that nothing was promised to him in terms of his role, but that he would need to come out and work. That worked for him.

“Playing in JUCO, man, you got to work hard, you got to grind,” Cox said. “Ain’t no scholarships, ain’t nothing like that. I feel like that’s what got me where I am today. I had to scratch and crawl and everything to get here.”

There will be plenty of competition in the wide receiver group — Cox, a senior himself, is in a veteran group with returners Cam Pickett and Keaton Kubecka and fellow transfer Nik McMillan — but so far Cox’s work ethic has been on display.

“He’s a ‘Yes sir, no sir,’ he’s a no-nonsense (guy),” Samuel said. “He wants to be coached. He’s asking all the questions. I may get a text at 1 in the morning with a question, and because I’m old I’m probably up and I respond. We have that type of relationship, so I feel good knowing that he wants to get better, wants to get coached, and he can take (Kotelnicki) going at him a little bit. So he’ll fit in here.”

In a remarkable coincidence considering that the two teams have never played against each other before, Middle Tennessee is on KU’s 2026 schedule, as the Blue Raiders will visit KU on Oct. 3 in a game that was rescheduled due to the Union Jack Classic.

“They’re my boys, but man, when you come out here, you got to get that work,” Cox said. “They’re my boys though. They got a good team out there. We’re going to give them the work, though. They better be prepared to come out here.”