Rich Rod Compares Cam Cook to a Legendary WVU Running Back

One of the biggest additions, if not the biggest addition, to the WVU football program this offseason is running back Cam Cook.

The Jacksonville State transfer could have landed just about anywhere in the country after leading the nation with 1,659 yards, but his connection to offensive line coach Rick Trickett and the fit in Rich Rod's system made too much sense for him to pass up.

Rodriguez didn't learn anything new today about Cook that he didn't already know, but he continues to be amazed by how complete a player he is. It's beyond just running the football, and because of that, it drew a comparison to the school's all-time leading rusher, Avon Cobourne.

Ole Miss defender Anthony Magee (38) pushes West Virginia's Avon Cobourne (22) out of bounds. West Virginia defeated Ole Miss 49-38 in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 28, 2000. Music City Bowl Ole Miss Vs West Virginia Football | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“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.”

Now, Rodriguez's response was to a question about whether Cook was similar to Slaton, so it may not be a direct player comp, but one that he sees a lot of similarities between the two, at least in terms of their talent and play style.

As we mentioned in our running back preview a little over a week ago, Cook isn't going to just blow by people and create 30 yards of separation between him and the closest defender like Slaton and Devine did, but he can still create explosive plays. The vision is elite, and that alone can create some big plays.

The Cobourne comp is actually a fair one

Sure, Avon saw the field as a young pup, rushing for 1,138 yards as a freshman, and last year was the first time Cook was the guy in the backfield. But the vision, contact balance, explosiveness, and the ability to carry a heavy workload give you that Spider-Man meme vibe.

Oh, and not to mention, their measurables are nearly identical. Cobourne was listed at 5'9", 190 lbs during his senior year, and Cook is currently listed at 5'9", 203 lbs. Last year at Jax State, he played at 200 lbs.

If Cook comes anywhere close to the type of production that Cobourne posted in Rodriguez's offense, the Mountaineers' offense is going to be just fine.

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