There's a running back renaissance brewing in college football, and the junior RB group has the potential to one day be considered among the top classes of all-time at the position.
Florida State's Dalvin Cook thinks he's the best of the bunch.
Cook was asked Friday during an interview with ESPNU at the ACC Kickoff media event to name the player he considers the top RB in college football.
"I am," Cook said. "I'm confident I am."
He certainly has a case to make for the title, although a panel of CFB 24/7 experts was unanimous earlier this month in voting LSU's Leonard Fournette the top RB in the college game. Cook finished third in the race, behind Fournette and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who voted Cook second to Fournette, recently wrote that Cook "is an electric playmaker. He reminds me so much of Chris Johnson when he was playing at East Carolina."
That's high praise, of course, as Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowler, is one of seven players who have rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a single NFL season.
Cook (5-foot-11, 206 pounds) can't match the size and power of Fournette, and McCaffrey's versatility (rusher, receiver, kick returner) is unparalleled.
The Seminoles' star has put himself in the same conversation with those players, though, after gaining an FSU single-season record 1,935 all-purpose yards last season. With better health in 2016, we could see an even better performance from him. He missed one game (Syracuse) with an ankle injury last season, and said Friday that he played hurt frequently in 2015.
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