MSU's road to rebuilding its talented secondary took a solid step forward this afternoon, as the Bulldogs officially signed 4* EMCC DB Justin Cox to a Letter of Intent (LOI).

The news was first reported by the EMCC Athletics Twitter feed and shortly thereafter confirmed by Coach Mullen's feed.

BREAKING: Lion DB Justin Cox is now officially a MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOG! #PR1DE

— EMCC Athletics (@EMCCathletics) December 19, 2012

Justin Cox signed with Mississippi State out of high school, so his story is nothing MSU fans are not familiar with. He played quarterback at near by West Point High School. His athletic ability was unquestioned and he was figured to come in and make the transition to cornerback look easy. However, those plans were derailed and he enrolled at East Mississippi Community College. Now, here we are, two years later. He is one of the premier junior college players in the county. In his second recruitment, he has been chased by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and many other SEC schools.

At EMCC, Cox played safety. In his return to MSU, he could play cornerback or safety, it will come down to where he is most needed. He will be a big help to a secondary that loses the likes of a Johnthan Banks, Corey Broomfield, and Darius Slay.

Cox is 6-2 190, and has been clocked at 4.28 in the 40-yard dash. With the proper development and production in the next two years (possibly just one), Cox, on paper, looks to be an NFL-type player.

Highlights

East Mississippi DB Justin Cox (via EMCCathletics)