ESPN analyst struggles to describe FSU football’s Dalvin Cook

We’ve seen what the nation’s top coaches think of Florida State. We’ve also gotten the AP writers’ evaluation of the 2016 ‘Noles. And now, we’re receiving some more nuanced analysis from national voices, including a former Power-Five Head Coach somewhat flummoxed while trying to characterize the skill set of Seminole running back Dalvin Cook.

That on-air personality would be former University of Oregon Offensive Coordinator, Head Coach, and Athletic Director Mike Bellotti. Bellotti was asked recently about FSU’s stud running back, and he had to search for adjectives by which to describe Cook, the Miami native donning the garnet and gold in Tallahassee.

Said Bellotti when asked about the most impressive trait possessed by Cook: “I wish I could say one word; he’s just got it all. He runs with power, he runs with elusiveness, he runs with speed, he can make people miss, he can see things, he’s elusive. I can’t . . . I can go on and on . . .”

The superlatives abounded from Bellotti, who eventually wound up making a bigger-picture characterization of Cook’s influence on the field: “His presence.”

But Cook wasn’t the only ‘Nole praised in ESPN’s ACC Preview. Fellow analyst Charles Arbuckle picked Seminole safety Derwin James as his ACC Breakout Star of the Year; still, both Bellotti and Arbuckle chose Clemson as the eventual ACC Atlantic champs.