MORGANTOWN — West Virginia football’s new running back Cam Cook isn’t used to the cold. He grew up in Texas, went to school at TCU, and then transferred to Jacksonville State down in Alabama. This winter was Cook’s first time dealing with the snow and the cold, which in Morgantown this year was a little extra wintery.
“It was actually really cold,” Cook said. “I don’t know if that was regular, but that was something.”
The running back position was a big question mark heading into the offseason, with all the departures. Cook was a big answer to that problem.
Through the couple of media availabilities this spring, Cook’s name has come up at some point. Rich Rodriguez said he’s already the alpha in the running back room and is one of the few players you can pencil in that’ll start in Week 1 against Coastal Carolina.
“He’s our experienced guy,” running backs coach Jay Boulware said. “He’s our veteran. I can tell him something one time, and he pretty much gets it… Glad we went out and got him.”
In a run-heavy offense, adding Cook, who was the nation’s leading rusher a year ago, was huge.
There were a couple of reasons why Cook decided to come up to the cold. His offensive line coach at Jacksonville State, Rick Trickett, was hired by WVU, and Cook knew there were similarities between the Gamecocks’ offense and Rodriguez’s because Rodriguez was only a year removed.
“I saw that my O-line coach, coach Trickett, came here,” Cook said. “I had a real good relationship with him. Knowing coach Rich Rod’s offense at Jack State before he came here, so that played a big role in just feeling comfortable in coming here. That was a big part of it.”
Although some might not like it, Cook’s journey shows the benefits of this version of the transfer portal. He was recruited as a high school recruit to a Power Four school, and then didn’t play too much in two years at TCU. He still scored nine touchdowns in his final season. Cook transferred down to Jacksonville State to get more playing time.
Cook lit it up with the Gamecocks and rushed for 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was a sought-after recruit in the portal because of the production. After taking a step down, Cook achieved his goal of getting back to the Power Four level.
“It definitely helped me build my confidence,” Cook said. “Just being able to go out there and play fast, however I wanted to, and show I have multiple styles of gameplay. You can’t just put me in one box, like shut me off that way.”
Other than being able to pad the statbook and building his portal stock, Cook learned a lot about himself.
“I learned that I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team out,” Cooks said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to help us get to where we need to as a team. Last year, they asked me to do a lot, and I did whatever the team needed. That was something that I hadn’t done before.”
Cook will be asked to do a lot in 2026. He’ll be the lead back and carry a heavy workload. Cook will be a leader since he enters into a running back room where he’s the veteran, and the only player who has taken significant snaps at the Division I level. Cook is still learning the offense, Rodriguez said, but he’s doing his best to show the younger players, like 4-star Amari Latimer, what it’s like to be a Power Four running back and how you should act daily.
“I’ve told guys experiences I’ve gone through,” Cook said. “Try to help them in that way. Mostly, I say lead by example. Going back to just doing whatever my coaches are saying. Like whatever he says, is what needs to be done. Just leading by example, and just helping out with whatever little things I know.”
Getting the young players ready for when he leaves is a lot smaller of a role than the one that’s expected of him on the field as the starter. After being the nation’s leading rusher and the big acquisition of the offseason, there’s a lot of pressure on Cook to perform, with all the expectations. Cook isn’t worried about the individual pressure, though.
“I’m not really worried about the pressure,” Cook said. “Being able to do whatever the team needs me to do, that’s what the goal is.”
