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Why Louisville is a smart business decision for five star RB James Cook

The Business Decision

James Cook declared his independence from his verbal commitment to FSU on the Fourth of July. While some posited he didn't want to exist in his brother's shadow at FSU, Cook called his move a business decision, and if you ask this analyst, it was a smart one.

As talented as Cook is, and he is a massive talent, why would any recruit with proper guidance want to go to a school that just landed not one, but two five-star backs the previous cycle. The emotional rebuttal to that premise would be, "There is competition at every school and if you're a baller you're not scared to compete against the best."

That's a banal sentiment.

Here's the hard truth, unseating an incumbent five-star talent at your position is an arduous task. If your goal is to see significant snaps as a Freshman, you don't want to battle a crowded depth chart. At FSU James Cook would be battling for snaps with 2017 backs Cam Akers, Khalan Laborn, Zaquandre White, as well as 2016 signee Amir Rasul. Further, junior running back Jacques Patrick isn't a lock to leave for the NFL either. Akers, Laborn, and Rasul all have similar skill sets, which makes it even harder for Cook to carve out a niche in the offense if all three are healthy.

If we take Cook's claim that his decommitment was a business decision, that seems to imply his business would be better located in a less saturated market? If Cook is looking for a less crowded house to call home, here is a breakdown of his current top three schools.

Business Options

Three schools, USC, Georgia, and Louisville are leading the pack for Cook at the moment and all reports are that FSU is out of the running.

UGA

Georgia has a crowded house in the offensive backfield but their situation is different from Florida State's. While Cook would have had to battle an incumbent for a roster spot at FSU, Georgia will return Nick Chubb and Sony Michel at running back this season. Both Chubb and Michel are Seniors and that means in all likelihood there will be no true incumbent starter to battle if Cook winds up in Athens in January 2018 as an early enrollee.

Brian Herrien will be going into his Junior year when Cook arrives in 2018. Herrien looked good last year as a Freshman averaging 5.76 yards per carry and should see his numbers increase this year. Elijah Holyfield will also be vying for the starting spot in 2018 but Herrien seems to have the inside track.

More daunting perhaps than Herrien and Holyfield however is the presence of DeAndre Swift, a 2017 four-star running back commit from Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joseph's Prep. He's build and running style is similar to Chubb's and he will have a year in the system when cook arrives. Also, UGA already has a verbal commitment from five-star 2018 running back Zamir White who will be another tough competitor for Cook to beat out, White is the unanimous number one running back recruit in the country by all four recruiting sites.

Even with all of the backs in UGA's stable, Cook's skill set is unique and he will be able to carve out a role in the Dawgs' offense as an all-purpose threat. So while the situation is a little cluttered at UGA, they don't have a running back with Cook's specific skill set. In addition to their tradition power running sets, The Dawgs have inserted a more vertical/spread offensive philosophy which will allow Cook to flourish alongside White as a change of pace back as well as lining up in the slot from 2019 and beyond.

All indications are that UGA leads for Cook right now, but is Athens the best place of business for Cook? It ain't bad, but his other two schools have their charms as well.

USC

USC has a few advantages that UGA doesn't, one of those being James Cook's cousin and former Miami Central teammate Jamel Cook is a Trojan. Keyshawn Young is also from Miami and he's a close friend of both Cooks. The Trojans also play an offensive system conducive to Cook's skill set.

However, USC returns a lot of talent at running back in 2018 with the most notable player being Stephen Carr. The local Summit star who played his high school ball an hour away from USC was the number two all-purpose back nationally in the 2017 class. Carr has been dazzling coaches this summer and early indications are that he will play a major role in the USC offense as a true freshman. If Carr can live up to the early expectations he's created for himself it appears Cook would be walking into a situation where he will have to unseat an incumbent with the same skill set he brings to the table.

Another major selling point for the Trojans is that their offensive line is usually one of the best in the country and much better than Georgia and Louisville up front.

USC's backfield situation is somewhat similar to FSU's in that Cook will likely have to unseat an incumbent but it isn't filled with multiple players with his skill set that have more experience in the offense, only one. If Cook doesn't mind competing with Carr for the starting running back spot or if Carr fails to solidify himself as the entrenched incumbent going into 2018, then I would say all bets are off and USC becomes a much more attractive spot for Cook, especially considering their offensive brand of football and offensive line play will set Cook up for success.

Louisville

Louisville graduates three senior running backs this year and no one behind them has carried a ball in a college football game. Even if freshman Colin Wilson gets some experience this year, he is a totally different back than Cook. Also, like USC, Louisville has a few players who are close to Cook. The Cards' hold 2018 commitments from two of his teammates in Chandler Jones and Robert Hicks who are constantly in his ear. Both Jones and Hicks visited Louisville for the Light Up the Ville summer camp and Cook accompanied them and went through all the drills and one-on-ones.

Yes, 5-star running back James Cook, who already has an offer from Louisville and has zero need to perform at their camp, participated in the entire thing, every drill. Why would someone who doesn't need to camp participate in a full capacity? Because for one, Cook is a competitor at his core and two, what better way to get a feel for the coaching style of your potential future staff? Kids who don't need to camp often do so typically because they are trying to feel out the coaching staff. If a recruit is just taking a fun trip to a new school they usually don't participate in camp activities because their is no point,they're not planning on going there anyway. This was not the case with Cook who was frequently engaged with the coaching staff including head coach Bobby Petrino.

Another factor that weighs in UofL's favor is their style of play bodes well for Cook's chances of being featured in the offense. Petrino has an offensive theory called FTS (Feed the studs) which emphasizes getting the playmakers the ball in space which counters a defensive scheme that attempts to eliminate Louisville's best player. Over the years it has proven to work if you look at the numbers Louisville's best players put up on a game by game basis. Considering Jawon Pass will be under center in 2018 or by some stroke of luck Lamar Jackson, defenses will have to play 2-high looks to account for the Cards' play makers at receiver giving Cook a man-for-man look in run blocking schemes or allowing him to operate underneath against linebackers in the passing attack.

The bottom line is that Cook would have the best opportunity to start right away as freshman at Louisville in an offense that would feature his versatility and splash play making ability. The goal of any five-star player is to go to school for three years, get as much film as possible, and head to the NFL.

In conclusion, if we are talking business, all three colleges set Cook up well to get to the professional level, but when all factors are considered, it's easy to make the case that Louisville will get Cook on the field the earliest and would emphasize him more than any other school based on the weapons each team has at its disposal.


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