UGA football roster: James Cook finally set for breakout season?

James Cook was one of the best running backs in the nation coming out of high school, but he’s yet to emerge as a star on the UGA football team.

Through two UGA Football seasons, former top 50 running back James Cook only has 693 yards of total offense with just four touchdowns. What’s the problem?

The issue certainly isn’t Cook himself, head coach Kirby Smart has heaped a ton of praise on the Miami native since Cook arrived in 2018. Smart loves Cook as a player, he loves his versatility, his work ethic, his speed and his passion for the team.

Smart dismissed Cook’s lack of carries last year on Jake Fromm and the offense just taking what the defense gives them. Smart even went as far as to say Cook has “probably lost out on three or four touches a game where the look dictated that it just didn’t hit right… So it’s not by design in any way shape or form, and we want to try to get him more touches.”

Based on Smart’s comments, Cook may have the most to gain by Georgia hiring Todd Monken to coordinate the offense. Monken is excellent at finding opportunities for multiple players on an offense, which is one quality former coordinator James Coley seemed to struggle with.

Why exactly do Smart and many Bulldogs fans want to see Cook get the ball more? Because he’s dangerous. Cook has excellent speed but combined with his agility, he’s a handful for any defense to deal with. That’s why a lot of touches so far have been on sweeps, quick passes and end-around handoffs. If Cook has some room to work with, he’ll always get the most out of a play.

Cook isn’t the biggest guy, but if opponents can’t catch him until it’s too late, size isn’t a problem. Plus, Cook and Zamir White make a perfect one-two-punch. One wears down opponents with brute, punishing force. The other wears defenders down by leading them on a chase juking them to the turf.