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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/lunchboxthegoat on 2023-08-22 15:36:25.

Counting down to the beginning of the season I’m going to attempt to post one player per day for the last 99 matching the days left to their jersey number. The players will be random. Use this thread to celebrate and Talk About some DudesTM

Dalvin James Cook was born in Opa-locka Florida and attended Miami Central High School. He didn’t play freshman football as he assumed he had no chance to supplant future Seminole Devonta Freeman who led Central to a 6A state title in 2010. In his upper classmen years he split carriers with best friend and future Cane Joseph Yearby. As a senior in 2013 Cook had 1940 yards and 34 TDs on 177 carries (11YPC) and intercepted 3 passes. After Yearby broke his fibular in the first quarter of the 6A regional final Cook took over as the primary ball carrier. He finished that game with 244 yards and 3 TDs and followed it up with 223 yards and 4 TDs in the state championship. They were the first team in the history of Dade county to to advance to four consecutive state finals (they won three). Cook was Mr. Florida Football for his senior season. He was also one of the state’s top sprinters. He was a five-star recruit and the #2 all purpose back in the nation at the time of his recruitment. He was initially a Clemson commit, then flipped to the University of Florida and head coach Will Muschamp before flipping on January 1st, 2014 and ultimately signing with Florida State.

He played for Jimbo Fisher and the Noles from 2014-2016. He split time with Karlos Williams and Mario Pender in 2014 but put up 1008 rushing yards, 8 TDs, 22 receptions and 203 receiving yards including a season high 177 in the ACC Championship Game versus Georgia Tech - earning him MVP honors. He was named to the second-team All-ACC for the 2014 season.

Cook came back in 2015 and elevated to another level as a multipurpose back. He was effective as both a runner and a pass catcher and had 2 200+ yard rushing games and 3 games where he eclipsed 50 yards receiving. He scored multiple TDs in 7 of the 13 games. With two regular season games to go he broke Warrick Dunn’s single season rushing record of 1242 yards. He finished with 1691 yards, 19 rushing TDs, 24 receptions, 244 receiving yards and a receiving TD. He finished 7th in the Heisman balloting. He was a second-team All-American and First-team All-ACC.

2016 saw cook again a dynamic rushing and receiving threat. He had threatened to put up 100 yards in each category in a game multiple times but had never accomplished the feat until October 1st against UNC when he had 140 rushing yards, 106 receiving yards and 3 rushing TDs in a loss to UNC. He entered game 11 of his junior year against Syracuse needing just 18 yards to break Warrick Dunn’s career rushing record of 3959 yards. Cook put up 225 yards and 4 TDs. He finished the season with 179 combined yards an a TD against arch rival Florida and 207 total yards and a TD (at nine yards per touch) against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. He was again First-team All-ACC, was a unanimous All-American and finished 10th in the Heisman trophy balloting.

He decided to forgo his senior season and was drafted 41st overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. So far in his career he’s rushed for 1100 yards in 4 of his 6 seasons, has had 10 or more total touchdowns three times and has been a 4x Pro Bowler. This past offseason he was released from his sentence of having to share a backfield with Kirk Cousins and instead chose…the Jets (wtf).

one of his 6 career TDs against miami, one of his three career TDs vs Florida

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