It is not everyday that one small moment can change the course of an entire athlete's life. That was the case, however, for Dayton quarterback Jack Cook.
Cook, a native of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, is set to enter his redshirt junior season with the Flyers. At the beginning of his time in Dayton, things were not so smooth.
In 2017, Cook did not see the field and ultimately redshirted. Coming into the 2018 season, Cook was second on the depth chart at quarterback, trailing only fifth-year senior Alex Jeske.
The Flyers hosted the hometown Robert Morris Colonials at Perc Welcome Stadium to open the season. In the game's first quarter, Jeske suffered a torn ACL. Cook, then a redshirt freshman, took the field in Jeske's place, and he never looked back.
"I was thrown into the game. I didn't really have much on my mind because it all happened so fast. I didn't have the time to be nervous. After that game, I knew that this was the opportunity I had been waiting for and I wasn't going to waste it," Cook told me.
The Flyers would defeat the Colonials, 49-28. Cook led the offensive attack for Dayton, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for another one.
Dayton finished the season 6-5. Cook threw for 2,421 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for an additional eight touchdowns. He was rewarded for his success when he received the Pioneer Football League Offensive Freshman of the Year award.
Despite all of the success in 2018, the dual-threat had room to improve entering his redshirt sophomore season of 2019. He only further cemented his place as one of the top quarterbacks at the NCAA D1 FCS level.
In 2019, Cook threw for 2,697 yards and 33 touchdowns. He threw for 200+ yards in eight of Dayton's 11 games, and his 33 touchdowns were good for fourth most at the FCS level. For good measure, he added an additional 12 rushing touchdowns to his total.
Following an October victory over Jacksonville, 56-28, Cook earned national spotlight. In the win, Cook threw for 198 yards and a school-record SIX touchdowns. That night, Cook was awarded a helmet sticker on ESPN's College Football Live by studio analyst Jesse Palmer.
In spite of the high honor, Cook was nothing but humble when asked about the iconic day.
"Usually you see guys from power five schools [like Ohio State or Alabama] receive helmet stickers, but never a guy from Dayton. I did have a really good game, but we also had a great game plan going into the game. Our coaches did a great job all year at putting us in situations to do well. That's why we had the top scoring offense in the FCS," Cook said.
One of Cook's most potent offensive targets in 2019 fulfilled a childhood dream, and Cook knows success is inevitable for his former teammate.
Adam Trautman, a tight end for Dayton, was selected with the 105th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
Trautman, a 6'6'' native of Elk Rapids, Michigan, caught 70 passes for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns in his senior season of 2019. However, talent wasn't the only thing that stuck out to Cook when watching his most dangerous weapon.
"Adam was such a good player on the field and I expect him to do great things in the NFL. What made him so special was the fact that he is such a good guy. He didn't have any ego about him and was easily the hardest working guy on the team," Cook said.
Dayton finished the season with an 8-3 record, while going 6-2 in Pioneer League play. Despite another successful season, Cook is only looking to grow in 2020.
"I have very high expectations for our team this season. We did lose some very valuable players on the offensive side, along with our offensive coordinator [Austin King, now a coach with the Las Vegas Raiders], but we also have some really good players coming back on offense. Almost our whole defense is returning as well," Cook indicated.
The circumstances prior to the 2020 season have been challenging. Dayton was forced to cancel all of spring practice and the annual spring game in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, Cook has been pleasantly surprised by how well things have gone.
"We meet three times a week on Zoom to go over the playbook to get prepared for the upcoming season. Usually, we aren't allowed to talk football during the summer, but the NCAA has made exceptions during this time. I give a lot of props to how well our coaches have handled losing spring ball and workouts," Cook told me.
Entering the 2020 season, limited or no fans may be permitted in attendance for games. Cook doesn't think that will be too much of a distraction.
"When you're inside the lines and staring down the opponents, you don't hear the fans as much as you would think. It may look weird at first, but once that whistle blows, I assume the flow of the game will be the same," Cook said.
Cook graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 2017. He knew that Dayton was undoubtedly the place for him to continue his playing career.
"It gave me everything I wanted in a school. They play high-level football, have strong academics and have a really cool social life atmosphere," Cook said.
Other offers were appealing, but Cook was certain with where he wanted to continue his promising journey.
"I had offers to play at Duquesne, Bucknell and other D2 schools, but I knew Dayton was the perfect fit for me," Cook said.
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