Cook has big plans for New Year’s Eve

LAKE BUENA VISTA — A swarm of media crowded running back Dalvin Cook (5-11, 192, Miami, FL Central) on Monday again to get an update on his recruitment only to discover that nothing in his tone has changed very much. His plan to announce his commitment later this week is still intact.

“Nothing different in my recruitment today,” Cook said laughing. “I haven’t spoken with any college coaches since I have been in Orlando and I don’t plan to really. I still plan to announce before I leave here”

Unlike most 17- and 18-year-old kids Cook has plans to stay in rather than going out on New Year’s Eve and he also plans to check out the new Gators offensive coordinator.

“Tomorrow night I plan on sitting down and watching Coach (Kurt) Roper in Duke’s bowl game,” Cook said. “I want to see his offense.”

Cook has been in Orlando for three days now and despite the swarm of reporters Cook he still says he’s enjoying his time and hanging out with three of his friends.

“I’ve been hanging with Ermon (Lane) and Quincy (Wilson),” Cook said. “We all three have just been chilling out here. Quincy has been recruiting me some but honestly he has backed off and we are just chilling and having fun out here having a good time.”

Some recruits opt to call the coach that they are committing to before they announce their decision  but Cook says that is not part of his plan.

“I’m just going to make my decision and then I’ll call the coaches,” Cook said. “I haven’t talked to ESPN about if I’m going to announce on TV yet or not. I do plan to sit down and talk to ESPN though.”

There are several top running backs in Orlando for this week’s game and on Monday Cook showed why he’s one of the best. Cook thinks he improved Monday.

“I think I got better mentally today at practice,” Cook said. “They are a lot of great guys out here and they make me better.  I just learned how to compete better.”

Cook has shown burst of speed as well as the ability to go inside on the goal line but Cook says he doesn’t want to be labeled as either one.

“Gator fans should know I’m bringing excitement to college,” Cook said. “I want people to think of me as a balanced back not just a speed guy or a power back. I use to try to be like Devin Hester but now I try to be like Adrian Peterson.”

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.