Georgia football: Will James Cook break out in 2019?

Georgia football saw glimpses of the player that James Cook could be in 2018 but there is a lot more to come from the athletic RB.

If there was one player that excited our writers before the season started, it was James Cook. All of the reports coming out of the Georgia football offseason camps suggested that Cook had really shined. That being said, despite those impressive performances, we didn’t get to see that much of him when we got to the actual season. It was only late in games, against lesser opponents that Cook really had the chance to show what he could do.

If there is one thing that stands out on the tape from Cook, it’s his burst. Cook has the rare ability to explode through gaps. I actually think that he’s even more explosive than D’Andre Swift to be honest. His shiftiness is truly special and if given the slightest amount of space, it’s incredible how quickly he is able to get past players.

Cook arrived pretty late onto campus last year. A summer enrollee, he was comfortably behind Swift and Holyfield, both of whom played really well last season. It’s going to be really exciting to see Cook get more carries this season now that Holyfield is gone. He’s a different kind of back than Holyfield but I do think he’ll get some of those reps. I also think that he’s going to get a lot more targets in the passing game as well. Cook showed in high school that he’s a natural pass catcher and I think that James Coley, who was heavily involved in his recruitment out of South Florida is going to find some innovative ways to get him the ball in space.

2019 is the year where I fully expect Cook to take a big step. Yes, D’Andre Swift isn’t going anywhere and I think Zamir White is going to play a role when he returns from injury. But there just are not many players with the speed and talent that Cook has. The Dawgs will find ways to get him the ball and when they do, look out.