College football's leading rusher listed among 'best returning' players

The leading FBS rusher from 2025 has been named among the ten best returning college football players in 2026.

Jax State's Cam Cook tries to evade the tackle of Kennesaw State's Alexander Ford during the C-USA Championship at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama December 5, 2025. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC) | Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season is nearly a fortnight in the past. A very long offseason separates the end of January from the first weekend of the 2026 college football season.

In the weeks that follow the end of every college football season, media outlets begin releasing way too early projections for the next season. These projections include top 25 rankings, College Football Playoff brackets and returning player rankings.

Cody Nagel of CBS Sports listed the ten best players who skipped the 2026 NFL draft to return to college for one more season. The lone running back Nagel included on the list is Cam Cook, who transferred from Jacksonville State to West Virginia.

"Cook averaged 5.62 yards per carry -- 11th best among players with at least 200 attempts this season -- while consistently breaking tackles (100 missed tackles forced) and turning routine runs into explosive gains (53 carries of 10-plus yards)," Nagel wrote. "With West Virginia counting on him to anchor the run game, Cook enters 2026 as one of college football's most dynamic and productive backs."

TCU Horned Frogs running back Cam Cook (4) runs the ball against the Cincinnati Bearcats | Albert Cesare/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Cook's decision to transfer to West Virginia will add intrigue to the Mountaineers' trip to TCU on Oct. 24. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder was a four-star recruit in the Horned Frogs' 2023 signing class. He carried the ball 16 times for 58 yards across eight games, with a season high of 27 yards against BYU.

Cook was TCU's leading rusher in 2024, logging 119 carries for 460 yards and nine touchdowns while catching 18 passes for 75 more yards. He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the conclusion of the regular season, committing to Jacksonville State in the offseason.

The lone season with the Gamecocks was an illustrious one for Cook. He ran for an FBS-high 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 30 receptions for 286 yards. He joined Tre Stewart as the second Jacksonville State running back in as many seasons to rush for more than 1,600 yards in a season.

Conference USA named Cook as its Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and to the All-Conference USA First Team. The Associated Press named Cook to its All-America Third Team for his high output in 2025.

Leddie Brown's 1,065 yards in 2021 is the last time a West Virginia running back eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. 2025 running backs Tye Edwards, Cyncir Bowers, Clay Ash, Diore Hubbard, Jahiem White and Tyler Jacklich all entered the NCAA transfer portal in the 2026 offseason.

Jax State's Cam Cook tries to evade the tackle of Kennesaw State's Tywon Christopher | Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images