Cotton received an Associate of Arts degree from City College of San Francisco and The Ohio State University awarded him a bachelor's degree in Sociology. As a Junior, Cotton was an instrumental part of the Buckeyes Big Ten Championship and Sugar Bowl Victory over Texas A&M in 1998. During his senior season in 1999, Cotton was voted by his coaches as the team's Most Outstanding Lineman by leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss. "My most memorable moment was being the last player sack Tom Brady Twice in the Big House".
