Top FSU Football Players Under Jimbo Fisher: No. 1

FSU football has had some great talent over the time Jimbo Fisher has been head coach – here’s another one of the 10 best during his tenure.

It was nearly seven and a half yeas ago that everything changed for FSU football. After almost three and a half decades under the leadership of legendary head coach Bobby Bowden, it was time to hand the keys over to Jimbo Fisher – who had spent the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator and “head coach in waiting”.

Since that time, the Seminoles have come back from the time known as the “lost decade” from many and turned the program back into a perennial winner over Fisher’s seven seasons in charge. It’s a tenure that has included ACC titles, a national championship and countless award winners and All-Americans who reminded the country that Florida State was indeed back.

Of the hundreds of players who have suited up in the garnet and gold under Fisher, which ones have been the best of the best? It’s not an easy question considering all the talent that has come through Tallahassee. In compiling our top 10 list of the best FSU football players under Fisher, countless players who brought home honors and ended up in the pros didn’t make the cut – showing you the amount of talent that is on the list.

Without further ado, here’s another of the top Seminoles during the Jimbo Fisher era.

Florida State Seminoles Football

No. 1 – Dalvin Cook, RB (2014-2016)

For the longest time, Fisher and the Seminoles thought that would have to game plan against Cook rather than with him. Originally committed to Clemson and later Florida while the top high school running back out of Miami Central, Cook shocked pretty much everyone outside of Tallahassee when he switched yet again and decided he wanted to be a Seminole just weeks before National Signing Day.

Almost immediately upon arriving on campus, the Seminoles knew they had someone special in the backfield. Originally splitting carries at the start of his freshman season, Cook pulled away and showed he was the man after finishing the year with over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns – including two in the comeback win over his hometown Hurricanes while being named a freshman All-American and MVP of the conference title game.

As a sophomore in 2015, Cook became the number one running back not just in Tallahassee or the ACC, but maybe in the entire country. Cook broke the school’s single season rushing record – one that stood nearly two decades – while running for 1,691 yards and 19 touchdowns even while missing nearly two full games due to injury. He ran for over 100 yards eight times and topped the 200-yard total twice. Cook had his best performance in big games, going for 222 yards and three total touchdowns against Miami along with 194 rushing yards and a touchdown against Clemson and 183 yards with two touchdowns against Florida to be a first team All-ACC and All-American.

As a senior, Cook was determined to show he was the nation’s best and made quite the argument for that. Again, he shined in big games – 246 total yards and three scores vs. UNC, 205 total yards and a score vs. Miami, 169 rushing yards and four scores vs. Clemson, 153 rushing yards and a score vs. Florida and 207 combined yards and a score vs. Michigan in the Orange Bowl. For the year, he broke his own single season record with 1,769 yards and 19 touchdowns while also becoming the school’s career leader in both categories with almost 4,500 yards and 46 touchdowns.

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After being named All-ACC and a unanimous All-American, Cook was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in this past April’s NFL Draft.