FSU Football: Dalvin Cook’s Quest For The Heisman Trophy in 2016

Dalvin Cook is obviously the Seminoles’ top guy, but the question is can he become the nation’s best and win the Heisman Trophy in 2016.

Florida State’s Dalvin Cook has his work cut out for him in 2016. He is the face of the Seminoles’ program and the best weapon on a team hoping to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Yet he is also a national underdog when it comes to the best players in the country. Heck, he may be a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and find it difficult to win his own conference’s Player of the Year award.

Last year, the ACC named Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson its Player of the Year. Watson returns to school for another season this year and enters as the national betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Quarterbacks naturally have an edge in award voting because they control so much more of a game than a running back possibly could. Yet Watson isn’t the only player Cook would have to surpass to win college football’s most coveted award.

Coincidentally, there are a couple of other big name running backs Cook will have to deal with if he hopes to be deemed the best this season. LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey enter as slightly bigger names with slightly higher expectations, yet neither one is definitely a better player than Cook.

Cook is just a junior this coming season. His freshman year was phenomenal as he accumulated over 1,000 rushing yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. His sophomore year was even better as he obliterated the competition to the tune of 1,691 yards, 19 touchdowns and 7.4 yards per carry for the Seminoles. It was the type of performance that propels a player into the national discussion.

His biggest strength is his ability to hit a hole for a huge run. He can break away from linebackers with his 4.3-4.4 speed and break through smaller defenders. In his 11 regular-season games of 2015, he broke a run of at least 28 yards in 10 different games.

Only the Georgia Tech loss saw him failing to break a big gainer. At 5-11, 206 pounds, Dalvin Cook has enough size to hold his own against every level of defense. Scouts also like his pass-blocking, which doesn’t necessarily help in any postseason award discussion but does help make him a well-rounded asset to his team.

Cook’s main downside is his lack of impact in the Seminoles passing game. Though it’s hard to fault a guy who tears off so many yards each time he carries the ball, Cook has never caught more than 24 passes in a season and has just one career receiving touchdown. He also could improve his short-yardage carries and burst.

If Cook is going to challenge for the Heisman, he will need to do one of two things this year: tote the ball more often – a la Fournette- or catch the ball more often, like McCaffrey. Of course, the former could take care of itself as Cook missed time in 2015 with a hamstring injury. Full health will lead his production toward that 2,000-yard mark that is so coveted by players and pundits alike.