Wake Forest Athletics
Fox Making Major Impact in Return to the Field
11/27/2020 12:30:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
“It’s starting to feel normal again. After those first two games, I started settling down a little bit.” - Miles Fox
After earning Honorable Mention All-Conference USA recognition with Old Dominion in 2017, injuries slowed Miles Fox as a senior the next season, limiting him to just four games played.
He used that to his advantage, however, by using that as a redshirt campaign and transferring to Wake Forest for his final season of eligibility. But a torn achilles in spring camp last season put Fox on the shelf again.
Fox is finally back out on the field and making an impact on the Wake Forest defensive line. He leads the team with six tackles for loss and has 17 stops on the season.
"It's starting to feel normal again," Fox said about being back out on the field. "After those first two games, I started settling down a little bit. I wasn't playing my best, but have stepped it up the last few weeks. I want to keep doing that without letting the wear and tear of the season get to me. It's the most games I've played since 2017, so I have to make sure I keep my body right.
"That's something I've definitely gotten better with this season with our nutritionist. They make sure I get in the cold tub and take care of the preventative stuff when I need to."
Fox has been one of key cogs on the Wake Forest defensive front this season. This included an impressive outing against North Carolina, finishing with four tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
"Week in and week out, preparing for a new opponent has been really stressful," he said. "You have to make sure you're locked in every day. Having some time off where your head isn't in the game everyday (during the bye weeks) has really helped us."
Those early-season bye weeks helped the Deacs change their fortune from the rough start that included losses to Clemson and North Carolina State.
"Our sense of urgency improved," Fox said. "Going into that bye week 0-2 is not what you want. It's not ideal, but we definitely had a sense of urgency about us to turn things around. We had to practice better and work harder. I think we did a really good job of that.
"Everyone is dealing with the same thing around the country in regards to COVID. The main thing is that we're getting better week-in and week-out. I feel like we've done that."
The Wake Forest defense, especially the front seven, was thought to be a strength of the team entering the 2020 season.
Although injuries have led to depth concerns in the secondary, the defensive line returned seven players who earned starts a season ago, anchored by All-ACC standout defensive end Carlos "Boogie" Basham.
"We're getting better every week," Fox said. "We started slow and had a lot of expectations on us entering the season. But recently, we've been playing good football and I'm proud of the guys.
"Grinding with them in camp and then seeing them step on the field and make plays is one of the best feelings ever. You get close to those guys through all the work during the summer. Then to see it pay off is just a great feeling."
Fox has learned a lot about keeping his body right for competition on the field during his time at Wake Forest, including desserts in moderation.
"I had to cut out desserts," he said. "Not completely, but moderating. I eat a lot of carbohydrates, but I have to keep Chipotle in there."
His guilty pleasure is homemade chocolate chip cookies, usually produced by him or offensive linemen Je'Vionte Nash or Taleni Suhren. They end up being community cookies, Fox said.
"It all depends on who wants them the most," he said.
He used that to his advantage, however, by using that as a redshirt campaign and transferring to Wake Forest for his final season of eligibility. But a torn achilles in spring camp last season put Fox on the shelf again.
Fox is finally back out on the field and making an impact on the Wake Forest defensive line. He leads the team with six tackles for loss and has 17 stops on the season.
"It's starting to feel normal again," Fox said about being back out on the field. "After those first two games, I started settling down a little bit. I wasn't playing my best, but have stepped it up the last few weeks. I want to keep doing that without letting the wear and tear of the season get to me. It's the most games I've played since 2017, so I have to make sure I keep my body right.
"That's something I've definitely gotten better with this season with our nutritionist. They make sure I get in the cold tub and take care of the preventative stuff when I need to."
Fox has been one of key cogs on the Wake Forest defensive front this season. This included an impressive outing against North Carolina, finishing with four tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
"Week in and week out, preparing for a new opponent has been really stressful," he said. "You have to make sure you're locked in every day. Having some time off where your head isn't in the game everyday (during the bye weeks) has really helped us."
Those early-season bye weeks helped the Deacs change their fortune from the rough start that included losses to Clemson and North Carolina State.
"Our sense of urgency improved," Fox said. "Going into that bye week 0-2 is not what you want. It's not ideal, but we definitely had a sense of urgency about us to turn things around. We had to practice better and work harder. I think we did a really good job of that.
"Everyone is dealing with the same thing around the country in regards to COVID. The main thing is that we're getting better week-in and week-out. I feel like we've done that."
The Wake Forest defense, especially the front seven, was thought to be a strength of the team entering the 2020 season.
Although injuries have led to depth concerns in the secondary, the defensive line returned seven players who earned starts a season ago, anchored by All-ACC standout defensive end Carlos "Boogie" Basham.
"We're getting better every week," Fox said. "We started slow and had a lot of expectations on us entering the season. But recently, we've been playing good football and I'm proud of the guys.
"Grinding with them in camp and then seeing them step on the field and make plays is one of the best feelings ever. You get close to those guys through all the work during the summer. Then to see it pay off is just a great feeling."
Fox has learned a lot about keeping his body right for competition on the field during his time at Wake Forest, including desserts in moderation.
"I had to cut out desserts," he said. "Not completely, but moderating. I eat a lot of carbohydrates, but I have to keep Chipotle in there."
His guilty pleasure is homemade chocolate chip cookies, usually produced by him or offensive linemen Je'Vionte Nash or Taleni Suhren. They end up being community cookies, Fox said.
"It all depends on who wants them the most," he said.
Players Mentioned
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