ARIZONA STATE FOOTBALL

Foot injury to once again sideline Arizona State linebacker Chans Cox

Mar 28, 2016, 1:23 PM

Arizona State head coach Todd Graham yells during the second half of an NCAA college football game ...

Arizona State head coach Todd Graham yells during the second half of an NCAA college football game against California in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. California won 48-46. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

TEMPE, Ariz. — With the aid of crutches, Arizona State redshirt junior linebacker Chans Cox walked off the practice field late last week with his right foot in a protective boot.

At the time, he had been ruled out for the remainder of spring football.

Fast forward to Monday and the news became much worse.

Cox needs surgery and will miss the entire 2016 season, according to head coach Todd Graham.

“Your heart goes out to Chans,” Graham said, following the seventh of 15 scheduled spring practices.

It’s just the latest blow for Cox, who has battled injuries ever since he arrived on campus after a standout career at Lakeside Blue Ridge High School.

In the past two seasons, after redshirting as a freshman, Cox has played in only seven games. Twice he saw action last year, including the season opener against Texas A&M when he registered his first — and to this point his only — career tackle.

“Unbelievable student athlete,” Graham said.  “He’s never been able to have health go his way.”

Recruited by the likes of Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, among others, Cox committed to ASU in 2012, choosing to remain in-state.

He enrolled early to participate in spring football, but suffered a foot injury in the spring and then later a shoulder injury in the fall.

Cox redshirted in 2013.

Much was expected from Cox the next season, given not only his size — currently listed at 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds — but also having had a year to learn the system.

Cox, though, struggled, perhaps because of the injuries, and was moved around from linebacker to defensive line to even the occasional reps at tight end.

His spot on the two-deep depth chart has been anything but secure each of the last two seasons.

And now Cox’s junior season is over before it even begins.

“He’ll have surgery, and then he’ll help Coach (Keith) Patterson with the linebackers,” Graham said.  “But, he will be out for the season.”

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