UGA Football: Frierson Chats With James Cook

The years keep rolling one after another. One minute James Cook is a freshman running back competing for carries amid a very talented backfield led by D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield, showing flashes of explosiveness when he got the chance. The next, Cook is a senior, a veteran leader trying to help lead the Georgia football team to a special season.
A senior from Miami, Cook and Zamir White have been the leaders of the Bulldogs’ talented running back group for the past couple of seasons. That depth has kept all of their totals down but it hasn’t kept them from making plenty of big plays. White led Georgia with 779 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season while Cook had 303 yards on the ground, averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and scored three rushing TDs. Cook also caught 16 passes for 225 yards and two TDs.
Cook’s older brother, Dalvin, is not only the Minnesota Vikings’ top running back, he’s one of the best in the NFL. Dalvin ran for more than 1,500 yards last season and caught 44 passes. Georgia doesn’t give James Cook as many carries as the Vikings do his big brother, but the Bulldogs do try to make the most of his versatility. Heading into Saturday’s big SEC game between the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs and No. 8 Arkansas, Cook has rushed 22 times for 123 yards (a 5.6-yard average) and caught eight passes for 27 yards and a score.