Heisman Trophy 2015: Dalvin Cook and the five biggest snubs

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

In what has become “the year of the running back”, there’s been several Heisman-worthy performances but only a few players at the position who can say they consistently produced throughout the season. Dalvin Cook was one of few, and that’s why he tops this list.

Fournette’s wheels went a bit flat starting with the Alabama game. Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliot was on course for Heisman consideration before his biggest game arrived, and he only made headlines for what happened after that contest. Devontae Booker was a flash in the pan for Utah. Not even a record-breaker like Samaje Perine could get enough carries to keep up.

But Cook stayed consistent through a quarterback swap at Florida State and the 211 carries that came with it. Sure, it wasn’t as many touches as Henry at Alabama or McCaffrey at Stanford had, but the damage he caused on those carries exceeded any other power-five running back.

With an average of 7.9 yards a carry, Cook bested Henry (5.9) and McCaffrey (5.8). He barely played in the Wake Forest game, in which he had a 94-yard run for a score, and he didn’t play at all against another ACC lightweight, Syracuse.

Think he wouldn’t have such an average had he been given the carries those two Heisman finalists had? Well, consider the fact in his last game, Cook faced a top-10 defense in the Florida Gators, and accounted for 183 yards with a pair of trips to the end zone. On an even bigger stage against top-ranked Clemson, he ran for 194 yards and a score.

Next: 30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time

He was still on the rise and could’ve carried a much bigger load. But 200 carries, 300 carries, it doesn’t matter, this guy might be the most explosive player in all of college football, and easily deserved a Heisman nomination.