College Football Recruiting

5-star running back recruit Dalvin Cook flips from Florida to Florida State

The Seminoles' 2014 recruiting class received a big boost at the expense of their biggest rival.

By Chris Fuhrmeister@ccfuhr Dec 31, 2013, 7:27pm EST

Class of 2014 five-star running back Dalvin Cook flipped his commitment from Florida to Florida State Tuesday afternoon, announcing his college choice on ESPNU. Cook had been committed to the Gators since April 6, and there had been some reports he was also considering Miami.

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A January graduate of Miami (Fla.) Central High School, Cook will be able to enroll at Florida State next week, and the Seminoles will have him for spring practice in a few months. He is FSU's highest-rated prospect for this recruiting cycle, the school's 27th commitment overall and 13th with a rating of four stars or better. Standing 5'11, weighing in at 205 pounds and running a reported 4.46-second 40-yard dash, some have compared him to former Clemson standout and current Buffalo Bill C.J. Spiller. Cook is the 12th-best player in the nation, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, the second-best running back and the top prospect from the state of Florida.

Dalvin Cook says when he was young he thought with his heart, but as a senior he thought about business. FSU was a business decision.
— TomahawkNation.com (@TomahawkNation) January 1, 2014

Dalvin Cook says he will go at 5-star WR Ermon Lane @_MoneyLane (UF commit) strong and that they should play together.
— TomahawkNation.com (@TomahawkNation) January 1, 2014

Dalvin Cook cites FSU's offensive balance, and says FSU runs the scheme that fits him.
— TomahawkNation.com (@TomahawkNation) January 1, 2014

In addition to FSU, Florida and Miami, he has scholarship offers from nine other schools around the country: Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Clemson, Illinois, Louisville, Texas A&M and USC. Cook had planned to make an official visit to Gainesville in December, but he canceled. His last trip to Florida's campus was in July, and he made an official to Florida State on Oct. 26, taking in the Seminoles' 49-17 win over N.C. State. His final official visit was to Miami on Dec. 6.

Apparently anticipating a possible decommitment from Cook, Florida has secured a visit on Jan. 24 from four-star running back Jeff Jones, currently a Minnesota commit.

Cook was originally set to make his announcement at halftime of the Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday, but televised commitments during that game are reserved for previously uncommitted players.