Alie-Cox making name for himself in NFL

Sam Hooper 
Contributing Writer

VCU has a special bond with a certain NFL player who’s a member of the Indianapolis Colts active roster. The 267-pound, 6-foot-6 tight end from Middleburg, Virginia is no other than the beloved Mo Alie-Cox, the former frontcourt general for VCU Men’s Basketball.

Alie-Cox wears No. 81 for the Colts and has been active for two games so far this season. His first career game was in week four — a 37-34 loss to the division rival Houston Texans. During the game, he logged his first career NFL catch, a single completion from quarterback Andrew Luck for 17 yards.

Alie-Cox was then inactive for week five, but came back for a week-six showdown in New York against the Jets. The Colts ended up losing the game 42-34, but Alie-Cox logged another catch from Luck — this time for 34 yards. As of publication, Alie-Cox has three receptions for 58 yards, an average of 19.3 yards per catch, in three games this season.

The last time Alie-Cox played football was his freshman year of high school, so it was no surprise he was not selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. On April 21, 2017, Alie-Cox signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts. In August of the same year, he suffered a lower leg injury and was placed on injured reserve. He was later released with an injury settlement and resigned to the Colts practice squad Oct. 7. At the beginning of 2018, Alie-Cox signed a future contract with the Colts.

Alie-Cox’s up-and-down NFL career didn’t stop there. At the beginning of September, he was waived by the Colts and signed to the practice squad the next day. On Sept. 28, Alie-Cox was promoted to the active roster and made his NFL debut Sept. 30 against the Texans.

On Oct. 3, Alie-Cox was waived again and signed back to the Colts’ practice squad. He was then promoted back to the active roster on Oct. 12 and played in his second NFL game against the Jets Oct. 14.

Alie-Cox has not always played tight end — let alone football. After playing high school basketball at Middleburg Academy, Alie-Cox came to VCU in 2013 to play for the Rams. During his freshman year, Alie-Cox tallied 117 points, 126 rebounds, 11 assists, 11 steals and 48 blocks. He also shot .596 from the line, making 34 out of 57 free throws.

During Alie-Cox’s final season at VCU, he set personal records for steals and blocks with 29 and 71. Alie-Cox also scored 333 points, grabbed 147 rebounds, and dished out 36 assists.

Alie-Cox played a total of 3,332 minutes for the Rams, starting 103 of a possible 142 games. His final stat-line for his VCU career is a total of 1,092 points, 663 rebounds, 112 assists, 88 steals and 255 blocks. Alie-Cox also shot 100 percent from beyond the arc, coming off a single attempt during his freshman season, when he made his first — and last — 3-pointer at VCU.

Alie-Cox’s NFL ride does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. To the contrary, RamNation has reason to hope Mo is on his way to making a name for himself as a redzone option for Andrew Luck and the Colts.