Crestwood alum Aaron Cox savored his time playing football at Ohio State

When Aaron Cox speaks, his voice carries a clear contentment.

There is no hint of fear for the future and no hint of regret about the past.

Cox, who recently capped his football career at and graduated from Ohio State, is happily employed at the Columbus-area engineering firm OHM Advisors.

Currently focusing on municipal engineering, including roads, sanitary sewers, pools and parks, the Crestwood alum said he's enjoying his work life, from the office environment to his coworkers and even an upcoming office retreat near Detroit.

Over the past several months, Cox has found himself with a lot more time on his hands, whether it was simply being a student at Ohio State in the winter and spring or now being able to focus on his work at OHM.

Gone are the days of juggling football, school and even an internship.

"Last summer, I was working out at 6 a.m., and then working an eight-hour day at an internship and getting back and doing it all over every day," Cox said. "That was very draining, so it's nice not having to necessarily do that anymore."

Of course, Cox knows that once the games at Ohio Stadium begin, he might feel a little differently. It's easy to enjoy the summer and not miss practices under a scorching sun. When fall hits, it's a different feeling around Columbus.

"It still hasn't even hit me that it's over," Cox said. "I'm sure that [it] will once the games start going, but the winter workouts where you're working out two hours straight and spring ball, it's not the most fun of stuff. So once the fun stuff starts happening, I'm sure I'll miss it a crazy amount."

Crestwood alum Aaron Cox relished the strides he made at practice

When Cox, who earned all-state honors three times as a two-way lineman at Crestwood, made the decision to head south to Columbus, there was a trade-off.

On one hand, Cox would get to play for one of the country's most decorated college football programs.

On the other hand, playing time doesn't come easy at any college, let alone Ohio State.

That didn't faze Cox then.

Nor does it faze Cox now.

"It's hard to say I'd do anything different," Cox said. "I loved everyone that I've met just at the school itself outside of football, and then all my teammates, coaches and all the experiences I've had. It's hard to say I'd do anything different and I'm glad I made the decision I did."

While Cox ultimately played in five games for the Buckeyes, including home contests against Akron and Michigan State as a senior, he measured his career not only by Saturday performances at Ohio Stadium but by the film he accrued at practice, which showed that he had made massive strides throughout his career.

"It's kind of something that it's hard to even tell until you watch that film when you're a senior to where you were [as] a freshman and you're like, 'Wow, was I even that bad coming in?'" Cox said. "It's just night and day."

Cox remembers those first days in scarlet and gray well, noting that freshmen are typically burdened with the earliest lifts and the longest practices as they play catch-up with the older student-athletes in trying to learn Ohio State's system.

"At first, it's definitely a little rough," Cox said. "I've seen countless amounts of freshmen being dead tired, and a couple of them throwing up just from our warm-up, that first one coming into Ohio State, so it's definitely a massive adjustment."

Still, the rewards were quick to come, including the chance to learn from decorated defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

"It's just how much he cares at the end of the day, not just about football and everything but you personally as well," Cox said. "We've all, just as a D line and everything, gone over to his house countless amount of times, just dinners and for really whatever, and he's just a great guy."

Cox said that Johnson constantly emphasized hip movement, and that was one of the many things Cox worked hard on in Columbus.

"I feel like the most satisfying thing is when you do something and then your teammates see that and get all hype and excited," Cox said. "That's probably the thing that makes you feel the most on the inside."

Aaron Cox savored trips to the Rose Bowl, national championship game

Of course, there were plenty of other perks to being a Buckeye, including a national championship berth in 2021 following Ohio State's dominant semifinal victory over Clemson.

And then there were the incredible stadiums, with Cox particularly relishing the Rose Bowl, where he experienced his final game with the Buckeyes.

"The Rose Bowl is insanely cool, just because of the mountains and all the background," Cox said. "I like the bowl games, just the different NFL venues, as well as the Rose Bowl and everything, too. Those stadiums were awesome."

After Cox took the rose out of his mouth (a classic celebration for Rose Bowl winners), he returned to a very different life on campus.

After all of those years of hard work for the Buckeyes, Cox had the chance to simply savor being a college student for a few months.

"That was weird at first," Cox said. "It's nice, but at the same time after you work out and go to class and stuff, it's like, 'All right, now I have literally half my day still. What I am about to do with it?'"

As Cox spoke on the phone on a late July afternoon, that issue seemed to have faded away like the humidity following a summer sunset.

He sounded relaxed.

And content as he reflected on his Ohio State playing career.

"Just all the dudes on the team, the guys I meet, and it was just connections that will last forever, whether it is dudes I only knew for a year or even coaches and everything, too," Cox said. "It was awesome just running out there every Saturday, seeing the entire fan base, so it was just amazing."

As for the numerous Portage County football players who followed his time in Columbus with interest, often cheering him on via Instagram, Cox had simple advice as they pursue their own college careers.

"Once you do end up going to college, first impressions mean a lot sometimes with coaches," Cox said. "The first impression, besides obviously recruiting you in high school, is what you do not only on the field, but in the classroom and the weight room, everywhere else, and so just do your best to be the best version of yourself whenever you can."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Crestwood alum Aaron Cox loved playing football at Ohio State