James Cook

Former running back at Georgia. 2021: 728 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD, 27 catches.

RB · Georgia · Sr. · #4

5′11″ · 190 lb · Miami, FL

CFB Index 68 · #40 of 315 RBsHigh confidenceWatch-list name (model)Buffalo — drafted 2022, Rd 2, Pick 31, #63 overall

Recruiting

4★

APB recruit

No. 41 nationally · Signed with Georgia

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former running back at Georgia. 2021: 728 rushing yards, 7 rushing TD, 27 catches.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Georgia in 2018.
Drafted round 2 by the Buffalo in 2022.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Georgia, 1,503 rushing yards — drafted at #63 overall by Buffalo.

His career

He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

201810 games

Signed with Georgia4-star out of Northwestern

2022

Drafted by Buffaloround 2, pick 63

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#41 national

CFB

College

Georgia

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R2 · #63

Buffalo · 2022

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

1 coach

2018–2021

Kirby Smart

Georgia

Played his entire career under Kirby Smart.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

BuffaloEntering 5th NFL season

#63Rd 2 · Pick 31

BuffaloEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Kirby Smart — 45-8 over that span.

2018Georgia11-3HC: Kirby Smart · Run-heavy

2019Georgia12-2HC: Kirby Smart · Run-leaning

2020Georgia8-2HC: Kirby Smart · Run-leaning

2021Georgia14-1HC: Kirby Smart · Run-heavy

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

68Quality starter #40 of 315?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: yards / carry (82nd percentile). Strength: rec yards (93rd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Yards / carry#76 / 409 · 82nd pct

6.4

Explosive rate#104 / 409 · 75th pct

9.7%

TD rate#116 / 409 · 72nd pct

6.2%

EPA / carry#157 / 409 · 62nd pct

0.23

Success rate#165 / 409 · 60th pct

47.8%

Box-score rates (7)

Rec yards#24 / 331 · 93rd pct

284

Receptions#28 / 331 · 91st pct

Yards / carry#31 / 343 · 90th pct

6.4

Long run#66 / 343 · 80th pct

Rush TDs#79 / 343 · 74th pct

Rush yards#91 / 343 · 74th pct

728

Carries#138 / 343 · 60th pct

113

Season trend

EPA / carry— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Success rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Explosive rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Yards / carry— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

TD rate— 2020 cohort too thin to compare (n=17)

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home6g	50.8	7.7	0.7
Road7g	44.9	5.2	0.4

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	42.3	6.5	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	53.8	6.2	0.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Kirby Smart

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

Watch-list name (model)

Our Heisman model has him inside the top 25; he is not on a published award watch list yet.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

68 · #40 of 315 RBs

Former four-star. Now #40 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Georgia	113	728	6.4	7	--
2020	Georgia	45	303	6.7	3	--
2019	Georgia	31	188	6.1	2	--
2018	Georgia	41	284	6.9	2	--
Career		230	1,503	6.5	14	--

Season	Team
2021	Georgia	27	284	10.5	4	--
2020	Georgia	16	225	14.1	2	--
2019	Georgia	16	132	8.2	0	--
2018	Georgia	8	89	11.1	0	--
Career		67	730	10.9	6	--

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 4 · Vanderbilt · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA -4.18James Cook run for no gain to the Vandy 3
Week 1 · Michigan · 3&3 · Q2 · EPA +3.91Stetson Bennett pass complete to James Cook for 53 yds to the Mich 15 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Alabama · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.85James Cook run for 67 yds to the Alab 13 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Michigan · 3&1 · Q4 · EPA +3.72Stetson Bennett pass complete to James Cook for 39 yds for a TD, (Jack Podlesny KICK)
Week 11 · Tennessee · 2&6 · Q1 · EPA +3.46James Cook run for 39 yds for a TD, (Jack Podlesny KICK)
Week 11 · Tennessee · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.08Stetson Bennett pass complete to James Cook for 23 yds for a TD, (Jack Podlesny KICK)
Week 12 · Charleston Southern · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.03James Cook run for 40 yds to the ChaSo 33 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · Kentucky · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +3.00Stetson Bennett pass complete to James Cook for 19 yds for a TD, (Jack Podlesny KICK)
Week 5 · Arkansas · 1&15 · Q2 · EPA +2.73James Cook run for 24 yds to the Ark 49 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · South Carolina · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +2.70JT Daniels pass complete to James Cook for 4 yds for a TD, (Jack Podlesny KICK)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 10-3@ Clemson	5	19	3.8	0	5
Wk 2	W 56-7vs UAB	5	18	3.6	1	14
Wk 3	W 40-13vs South Carolina	4	51	12.8	1	23
Wk 4	W 62-0@ Vanderbilt	8	35	4.4	0	10
Wk 5	W 37-0vs Arkansas	12	87	7.3	0	24
Wk 6	W 34-10@ Auburn	7	35	5.0	0	13
Wk 7	W 30-13vs Kentucky	6	51	8.5	0	25
Wk 9	W 34-7@ Florida	10	46	4.6	1	11
Wk 10	W 43-6vs Missouri	9	41	4.6	1	17
Wk 11	W 41-17@ Tennessee	10	104	10.4	2	39	Season-high 104 yds
Wk 12	W 56-7vs Charleston Southern	6	57	9.5	1	40
Wk 13	W 45-0@ Georgia Tech	8	37	4.6	0	9
Wk 14	L 24-41@ Alabama	11	38	3.5	0	8
Total		101	619	6.4	7	40

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

James Cook

201810 games

2022

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Watch-list name (model)

Career stats

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Complete Back

Players who play like James Cook

Heisman trajectory

#22