We here at Sons of Montezuma are putting into focus our top San Diego State Aztecs football players for you to to know in the upcoming 2025 season. Next up is Safety, Josiah Cox.
Name: Josiah Cox
Position: Safety
Class: Junior
Height / Weight: 6′2″, 200 lbs
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Previous School: New Mexico State < Arizona State
2024 Stats: 35 tackles (17 solo), 2 INT’s.
Josiah Cox returns home to San Diego State after stops at Arizona State and New Mexico State. The former three-star recruit was a CIF champion in his years at Lincoln High and was rated as the No. 47 overall prospect in California and No. 49 safety prospect in the country by 247 Sports.
In 2024 at New Mexico State, he appeared in 10 games, recording 35 tackles, two interceptions—both in a single game against Sam Houston—one pass breakup, and two tackles for loss. He loves man to man coverage, but has experience and discipline to continue rounding out his game in various zone coverages.
Cox brings ball skills to the secondary and has shown strong instincts with playmaking ability as mentioned. Now, in his junior year and with some experience at other programs under his belt, Josiah is ready to put that physicality to the forefront. But there’s more than meets the eye than just his physicality.
Earning the status of New Mexico State’s highest-graded safety (minimum four games) in 2024, that really underscores Cox’s consistency, preparedness, and performance.
Expect Cox to compete for a starting safety role and bring immediate depth to the secondary—though ahead of him on the depth chart are some valuable seniors with experience in the system already. Coaches have to really be optimistic his instincts and experience will translate well into the Aztecs’ 4-2-5 scheme.
Look for him to play in sub-packages and special teams early in the season, with opportunities to get more time and responsibility likely once he adapts to SDSU’s defensive calls.
While productive, Josiah’s experience at FBS level is still limited. He needs to string along some good performances with the Aztecs against a tough slate of opponents in the Mountain West. Also, although he’s shown ball-hawking ability, expanding his production to include more forced turnovers and tackles will take his game to the next level.
The opportunity to learn, contribute and be a part of a very experienced and physical secondary should pay off dividends for Cox and SDSU moving forward. If he can build on his ball instincts and maintain his high performance, he has the potential to be a standout safety for SDSU in 2025 and even more so in 2026. All of which would be a welcome return for San Diego State’s hometown hero.
Stay tuned as we list more crucial Aztec Warriors that will be looking to make a big impact this 2025 season. The list isn’t in any specific order—but let us know in the comments what you think of each player as the list unfolds.
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