The Deacs added talent and experience in a position of need this weekend with the commitment of Old Dominion graduate transfer defensive tackle Miles Fox. Fox visited Winston-Salem Friday and Saturday, giving his pledge before leaving campus and changing his twitter bio to "Wake Forest University Grad Student, ODU alum."

"It was amazing. The players and coaches are great," Fox said about his visit to Wake Forest. "I loved the campus. I love the new facilities coming in, with the new weight room, meeting room and all the upgrades."

Fox, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 292 pounds, hung out with departing senior defensive tackle Willie Yarbary and freshman safety Peyton Woulard the most, and mingled quite a bit with some of the incoming 2019 freshmen class who were on officials visits.

"They’re all really cool," Fox said. "It really feels like a brotherhood there."

He gave his commitment to the staff before leaving back to Old Dominion for finals this coming week.

"We just got better," he said the Wake staff told him.

"Defensive tackle was a need for them," Fox said. "They made that clear. I’m just happy to be a part of the program now."

Fox started four games this season as a senior for the Monarchs before redshirting, which retained his eligibility for the grad transfer season. He suffered two ruptured ligaments while enduring grade three turf toe.

"We thought it was just regular turf toe at first and I kept playing on it," Fox said. "I used numbing stuff and played through it. But everything happens for a reason. I just kept on wanting to play the season out, but God put it in my path to not mess myself up like that — and now I got to redshirt and I’m able to go to Wake Forest. It was like writing on the wall."

He had a massively productive first three seasons at Old Dominion, totaling 107 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three forced fumbles. There's a huge need at defensive tackle for the Deacs in 2019 with the loss Zeek Rodney and Willie Yarbary to graduation, plus the early-season loss of Elontae Batemen because of medical disqualification.

To further put Fox's production into perspective, Rodney entered his senior season with 58 career tackles and Yarbary had 62. Yarbary had a monster senior campaign for the Deacs, finishing with 48 stops, 10 TFLs and 4.5 sacks.

Fox really dug into the Old Dominion play book entering his junior season, as well as getting an edge from a more unuconventional source.

"I did a lot of yoga," Fox said. "It allowed me to be more flexible and athletic. It really paid dividends being able to move around better around the offensive tackles."

"When you know what everyone else is doing on a certain play, it helps you take calculated risks when you can," he said about gaining the extra play book knowledge.

Fox was a 2015 class three-star from Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) High School, same as Wake Forest freshman safety Peyton Woulard.

"That’s my little brother," Fox said. "His mom actually taught me in seventh grade. I’ve always known him, but have gotten closer as he went to high school. I was a senior when he was a freshman."

While Fox is focused on final exams at ODU, Wake Forest (6-6) will be preparing for the 2018 Birmingham Bowl, which kicks off at Noon Dec. 22 against Memphis (8-5). The Deacs will now have gone to bowl games in three-consecutive seasons for just the second time in program history, and could set a new record with a fourth-straight appearance in 2019.

"I’m an extremely hard worker and I love making plays," Fox said. "It’s going to be a great season. It’s already a great defense, but I feel like I can be that missing piece we need."

Fox will enroll in January and participate in spring camp with the Deacs.