West Virginia’s offseason running back haul already had people talking, but Cam Cook keeps standing out as the name with the most juice behind it.
The Jacksonville State transfer arrives in Morgantown after leading the nation with 1,659 yards, and the fit made enough sense that he didn’t have to look far. His connection to offensive line coach Rick Trickett and the way he slots into Rich Rodriguez’s offense helped make the decision an easy one.
Rodriguez said he didn’t uncover anything new about Cook on this latest look, but he remains struck by how complete the back is. The praise went well beyond simple rushing ability and landed on a comparison that tells you plenty about how the WVU staff views him.
“He’s probably closer to Avon than Stevie (Slaton) or Quincy (Wilson) or Noel (Devine). He’s more like Avon.
Avon was just a really good football player in all aspects. We’ve got some young guys that are going to be pretty exciting to watch, but Cam’s the leader of the group, and he’s got a great feel already for what we’re doing.”
Rodriguez was answering a question about whether Cook reminded him of Slaton, so the comparison wasn’t presented as a perfect one-for-one. Still, the message was clear: Cook’s game draws more of a Cobourne-type read from the coach than the straight-line explosiveness people might associate with Slaton or Devine.
That tracks with the way Cook is being described. He’s not the kind of back who simply outruns everyone and turns every touch into a footrace, but he can still hit explosive plays. His vision is the real separator, and that alone can turn ordinary runs into big gains.
There are other boxes that line up too. Cobourne was a young contributor, rushing for 1,138 yards as a freshman, while Cook only became the featured back last season. But the blend of vision, contact balance, explosiveness, and workload capacity is what makes the comparison land.
Even the measurements line up closely. Cobourne was listed at 5'9", 190 lbs during his senior year, while Cook is listed at 5'9", 203 lbs now. At Jacksonville State last year, he played at 200 lbs.
If Cook ends up anywhere near the production Cobourne delivered in Rodriguez’s offense, West Virginia’s backfield looks ready to hold up just fine.
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The other revolves around a possible path for a handful of players from last season to come back for another year after a court ruling created the chance for a fifth season of eligibility. West Virginia has not made any decisions there yet, and the NCAA is appealing the ruling, so the program is stuck in the middle of an unsettled process that could reshape parts of the depth chart once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Heads Into Fall Camp With One Quiet Concern
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The quiet concern is not about scheme so much as stability in a phase of the game that can flip tight contests. The Mountaineers have work to do in sorting out the kicking picture, and fall camp will be the proving ground for that battle. In a season where so much is still being defined, the pressure on that one spot carries outsized weight because the margin for error in the Big 12 is already so thin. [Read more 🡒]