Spear Jasir Cox Brings Winning Attitude to West Virginia

New spear Jasir Cox brings a winning attitude with him from capturing three national titles at the FCS level. It goes right with the experience that head coach Neal Brown has said the team targeted to fill up their secondary.

“They have to help,” said Brown at the start of training camp. “That’s why we got them… I think they have to help. That was something we needed, we needed experience. It was clear coming out of spring that we needed experience. We like our guys… but we needed some experience in that room to match Charles (Woods).”

Cox transferred to West Virginia from North Dakota State University (NDSU). While the Nick Saban Alabama dynasty has jumped out at the FBS level, a winning culture has firmly dominated FCS to an even larger extent with NDSU.

They’ve won nine national titles at the FCS level since 2011 and have 17 total. This includes five straight from 2011-15, another in 2017 and the three that Cox was a part of in 2018, 2019 and 2021. They’ve lost only 12 games since 2011, and have an astonishing 202-39 (.838) record since moving up to the Division-I level in 2004.

It’s led to, what they refer to it as, “Bison pride,” a winning culture built around brotherhood and a team mentality. In 2018 it was the subject of an article in Bison Illustrated, a monthly NDSU athletics magazine, that interviewed alumni of the program. What does “Bison pride” mean to you was the one and only question.

“Shared experiences on and off the field. Then and through the last 40 years, because we became friends for life,” said Russell Shroyer (1976-79).

“Playing for the players next to you and giving everything you have because you don’t want to let your brothers down,” said Cole Jirik (2009-13).

“Brotherhood, camaraderie,” said Landon Lechler (2012-17).

And that culture wasn’t lost on Cox. He spoke at lengths about “Bison pride” in his press conference on Thursday. In addition to speaking about what he can physically bring in to the spear position, he spoke about what he can bring to the team from his experience at NDSU.

”I feel I’m able to make a big impact even off the field with teammates,” said Cox. “To show them a winner’s mentality. Being at North Dakota State and winning three national championships, it’s taught me to see the good things in football.

“It’s actually humbling for most of the players to see that. I am a guy whose won three national championships and I can bring insights to everyone to show them how it’s really done. As for everything that’s going here, I like what I see and I see a big change.”

It’s the attitude that has led the school to winning 17 national titles across three different divisions in college football. And it’s what led Cox to follow his brother’s (Jabril Cox) footsteps to NDSU and then, later, to a power-five school.

Jabril used the jump to LSU to prove that he could play at the power-five level and then jump to the NFL. He was a fourth round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. It’s the path that Jasir is likely trying to take with his transition to West Virginia.

Though why he chose West Virginia over another power-five school, is the same reason he succeeded at NDSU. The brotherhood aspect, only a transition from “Bison pride” to “Mountaineer pride.”

“It was a long decision,” said Cox. “But I felt that West Virginia was the best fit for me, once they reached out to me. Because all of the coaching staff they showed me that I was more than just a player to them.”