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In news that’s certainly a shock, the Georgia Bulldogs got another elite-level running back. Yes, having Knowshon Moreno, Todd Gurley, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb over past years doesn’t seem enough. Neither does having D’Andre Swift on the roster, either. No, Georgia wants to keep stockpiling elite talent in their backfield. Surely, a shock to many in the world of college football.
Okay, but seriously: Georgia has grabbed another top-level RB. This time, it’s four-star James Cook out of Miami Central in Miami, Florida. Radi Nabulsi reported the news of Cook’s commitment on Thursday night:
BREAKING: 5-star running back James Cook has committed to #UGA. Only 3rd time in Rivals history a school has two 5-stars RBs in same class pic.twitter.com/aV8hzHiZzU
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) October 26, 2017
Cook is just the latest blue-chipper to commit to Georgia, joining No. 1 overall player Justin Fields, who did so last month. He’s not the only top-flight back for 2018, either, as he joins five-star Zamir White, who committed back in June. White just so happens to be the best RB in the country in 2018. Cook is third. So, the ‘Dawgs have two of the best running backs in the 2018 recruiting cycle on their roster. Seems pretty dang good, eh?
He’s a former Florida State Seminoles commit, and if the last name sounds familiar? Well... it should. He’s the younger sibling of former FSU star Dalvin Cook, who of course was terrific in Tallahassee. Georgia is obviously hoping they can get even a chunk of what his older sibling produced while in college. Anything more would be gravy.
Cook committed to the ‘Dawgs over the Louisville Cardinals, who hosted him in September on an official visit. He took one to UGA on September 22, and a month later, he’s decided to head up to Athens next fall.
Currently, he’s listed at 5-foot-11.5 and 181 lbs. as he enters his senior season. 247Sports Composite has him ranked 35th overall in the nation and fifth overall in the state of Florida. He’s amongst the company of five-stars Xavier Thomas (Clemson Tigers), Patrick Surtain Jr., Lorenzo Lingard (Miami Hurricanes) and four-star Tyson Campbell. Not too bad company to be around, eh?
Cook has received raves for his home-run ability, speed and agility. He should be able to contribute from Day 1, along with White, who could pack quite a punch in the backfield along with Justin Fields one day. It’s easy to understand why optimism is growing in Athens right now.
With Cook in tow, Georgia now has the fifth-ranked class in the country for 2018. That means they are #1 in the SEC, too.