Fox Announces Comeback with Authority

9/18/2020 12:30:00 PM | Football, Les Johns

“With everything I’ve been through, to just get out there and play at what I felt was a pretty high level was a blessing.” - Miles Fox

By: Les Johns

The journey through the Clemson offensive line to sack quarterback Trevor Lawrence was arduous for Miles Fox, but not nearly as difficult as the actual trip to just get to the 2020 season opener against the Tigers.

Fox arrived at Wake Forest as a grad transfer defensive tackle from Old Dominion early in 2019, but a spring camp torn achilles derailed last season — and that's after playing in just four games for the Monarchs in 2018 because of injuries.

Then of course 2020 brought an abbreviated Wake Forest spring camp and a ton of uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Fox stayed focused and got his celebratory moment last week when he brought down Lawrence, a likely NFL first round draft pick, with his first sack of the season.

"It's just been a long time coming," Fox said. "With everything I've been through, to just get out there and play at what I felt was a pretty high level was a blessing.

"It was amazing, especially against the No. 1 (NFL) pick next year. Seeing all the work I've put in the last year finally start to pay off was amazing."

His first play from scrimmage didn't exactly go Fox's way.

"It wasn't the prettiest first play in the world," he said. "I got blindsided. I got tripped up. It definitely woke me up."

"Dang, I played my first college snap in two years," he reflected.

An All-Conference USA defender in 2017, the road back to the field for Fox involved getting situated at a new school after rehabbing from an injury.

"I was actually very nervous on the first day in practice, going to a new school and wanting to prove myself," he said. "Nobody had seen me play since I'd been here. I was nervous, but as I gained more confidence, I was pretty set for the opening game against Old Dominion. Then boom, suddenly we're playing the number one team in the country. It was crazy."

Late in the summer, he watched as multiple conferences announced a football hiatus, affecting friends and teammates from the past.

"I immediately felt for the seniors," Fox said. "They didn't know what they were going to do. Because of scholarship shortages, they had to cut some of those guys. I reached out to them to let them know I was here for them.

"That's why I take the virus very seriously, because it could all be gone just like that. That's why I always wear a mask everywhere I go and take all the precautions that are given us. I don't want to give up my senior season."

The Deacs returned to campus late in the summer and camp started to progress without many COVID flare-ups, leading to a bit of optimism.

"When we all got in camp and we had a COVID negative team," Fox said. "We can really do this. We can really pull this off. After that, everybody bought in and started taking things seriously."

He adds to a defensive line coached by Dave Cohen that returns seven players who earned starts a season ago.

"It's a fun group of guys," Fox said. "We have talent all across the board, from Boogie (Basham) all the way to the true freshmen. I feel like we can be really good, but we just have to go out there and prove it week in and week out. We're putting the work in practice, and we need it to carry over into the games.

"How good can we really be? My coaches have always told me that the biggest improvement comes between the first and second games. I feel like we had some good spurts in the last game, so if we carry that over and fix some mistakes we can really take a leap."

Seeing Fox get the sack on Lawrence Saturday was a highlight for Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson.

"I was really excited for Miles when he got that sack right before the half," he said. "That was a two-year celebration waiting to come out. As a staff here, we get to know our players really well and appreciate their journey.

"To see Miles Fox get that sack, to see Je'Vionte' Nash play well, to see DJ Taylor get back after two years to get on the field — we didn't win, but there were a lot of great moments in that football game that will hopefully allow us to win football games down the road."