Youngstown State junior tailback Jamaine Cook (Cleveland, Ohio) has been tabbed a preseason third-team All-American by The Sports Network/Fathead.com, the sports service announced on Friday.
Earlier this month he was one of 20 players named to preseason Watch List for the 2011 Walter Payton Award presented by Fathead.com, which honors the top offensive player in the FCS.
The first-team running backs are Colgate's Nate Eachus and William and Mary's Jonathan Grimes. The second-team running backs include North Dakota State's D.J. McNorton and Delaware's Andrew Pierce while Cook and Sam Houston State's Tim Flanders were third-team picks.
Cook had a breakout campaign in 2010 as a sophomore. A second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, he rushed for 1,276 yards on 241 carries and scored 11 touchdowns. In eight games of MVFC action, Cook had 973 yards on 199 attempts and scored eight touchdowns. He ranked 13th in the FCS in rushing yards per game (116.0 a game).
He was YSU's first 1,000-yard rusher since Marcus Mason in 2006. Cook had six 100-yard rushing efforts highlighted by season-high 213-yard effort on 43 carries at Illinois State.
He also caught 25 passes for 219 yards and returned 21 kickoffs for 393 yards showing his all-purpose skills. For the season, he had 1,889 all-purpose yards, averaging 171.6 per game to lead the conference. He finished the campaign ranked ninth in the FCS.
The Penguins are set to report to camp on Friday, August 5 with the first practice of the 2011 squad set for Saturday, August 6. YSU opens the season on Friday, Sept. 2 at Michigan State. The contest will be televised on the Big Ten Network and carried on 570 WKBN AM. For ticket information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
