Cook Participates in Gruden's QB Camp Series
4/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Michigan State departing senior Connor Cook, the winningest quarterback in school history (34-5 career record), is one of seven signal callers featured in Jon Gruden's QB Camp series. Cook joins California's Jared Goff, Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, Ohio State's Cardale Jones, Memphis' Paxton Lynch, Mississippi State's Dak Prescott and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz for the seventh season of Gruden's QB Camp.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Cook spent Tuesday, April 5 at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, taping his episode with Gruden, the former Super Bowl-winning coach and Monday Night Football analyst. His appearance on Gruden's QB Camp series debuts on Saturday, April 23 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
"Overall, it was a great experience," Cook said. "I've always been a great fan of Coach Gruden, closely following his work as an analyst on Monday Night Football. I've watched the Gruden QB Camp series throughout my college career. I remember the interviews with Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Andy Dalton, and of course, Kirk Cousins. I'm very honored to follow in their footsteps and work with Coach Gruden.
"It really was an awesome experience. It was a very comfortable setting because we basically spent four hours inside the studio, talking football. Coach Gruden is so knowledgeable and passionate about football that I'd love to play for him as a head coach somewhere.
"I really enjoyed sitting across the table from him, breaking down film, diagraming plays and talking about the quarterback position. I just tried to be myself. Coach Gruden spends a ton of time studying film. I swear he pulled every possible angle for the plays we reviewed. He was so cool; he even kept things light when reviewing a bad play, like an interception.
"After the 4-hour studio session, we spent another hour on the practice field, running through some drills," Cook continued. "It truly was a memorable experience.
"After the on-the-field drills, the producer asked me if I could impersonate Coach Gruden. Of course, I obliged because I have worked on impersonating him for a number of years. After my routine, Coach Gruden told me it was the best impersonation he's seen in the seven years of his QB Camp series."
Cook completed his Michigan State career as the program's all-time leader in touchdown passes (71), passing yards (9,194) and total offense (9,403 yards). He compiled a 34-5 (.872) record in 39 career starts, including a 23-2 mark (.920) against Big Ten opponents, while leading MSU to three bowl wins (2012 Buffalo Wild Wings, 2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton), two Big Ten Championships (2013, 2015) and a berth in the 2015 College Football Playoff. The 34 wins are fourth most in Big Ten history and tied for 25th in NCAA FBS history by a starting quarterback.
Cook was named recipient of the 2015 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually since 1987 to the nation's top college quarterback. Candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award must be college seniors or fourth-year juniors on schedule to graduate with their class. In addition to the accomplishments on the field, candidates are judged on their character, citizenship, scholarship achievement and leadership qualities.
"What stands out the most is his experience," Gruden said during a SportsCenter talk-back interview. "He's mature; he's a fifth-year senior. He's been in a pro-style system. He's got size and athleticism, and he's willing to be a gunslinger and make some aggressive throws down the field. This kid isn't completing bubble screens and quick screens; he goes after you down the field. He's got NFL talent. He's gonna be I think perhaps the best quarterback in this year's draft.
"He's got the body of work; he's beaten five Top 10 teams. He's thrown for over 9,000 yards. He's the No. 1 passer in Michigan State history; (and) they've had Drew Stanton, (Brian) Hoyer, Kirk Cousins. This kid stands out to me physically, and he jumps off the screen at me on tape. I'd really want him. My old boss Al Davis (Oakland Raiders owner and general manager) would have loved to have had Connor Cook.
"The talent is all there," Gruden continued. "He proved that on the field today. Pick up the tape and watch him in critical moments. He brings his team back to win a bowl game against Baylor (2015 Cotton Bowl). He wins the (2013) Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. He gets even against Oregon this year. Big moments bring out the best in Connor Cook, and I like the way he played in the (2015) Big Ten Championship Game (against Iowa), overcoming a shoulder injury that he had earlier in the season.
"I have no question about this kid's leadership. They've got a lot of dynamic people in that (Michigan State) program. This kid is 34-5, and if you ask anybody in East Lansing, they'd all stand up for their quarterback. I don't have any question about his ability to be a leader at the next level."
When asked about what NFL team would be a good fit for Cook, Gruden responded: "Any team that wants to drop back and throw the football."
During his senior season, Cook became the first Spartan quarterback to win the Greise-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year Award since its inception in 2011, and was also the first Spartan QB be named first-team All-Big Ten since Steve Juday in 1965 and only the fifth ever in school history (Earl Morrall, 1955; James Ninowski, 1957; Dean Look, 1959; Juday, 1965). Cook was a second-team selection in 2013 and 2014.
Completing 56 percent of his passes (229-of-408) for 3,131 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2015, Cook finished among MSU's single-season leaders in touchdowns (tied for second with 24, tying a career high), pass attempts (fourth with career-high 408), passing yards (fourth with 3,131), pass completions (fifth with career-high 229) and passing yards per game (fifth with 240.8 per game). He ranked among the Big Ten leaders in touchdown passes (second with 24), passing (third with 240.8 ypg.), total offense (third with 245.2 ypg.) and passing efficiency (fifth with 136.6 rating).
Cook finished tied for ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting, becoming the first Spartan to place in the Top 10 since Javon Ringer in 2008 (10th); he also became just the fourth Spartan quarterback to finish in the Top 10 and the first since 1965 (Juday, 1965, 6th; Look, 1959, 6th; Morrall, 1955, 4th). Cook was a finalist for both the Manning Award and Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award (Big Ten's best player/one of three), and was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback of the year) and Maxwell Award (college player of the year).
During the middle of the season, Cook established a school record by throwing for more than 300 yards in four consecutive games (367 vs. Rutgers; 328 vs. Michigan; career-high 398 vs. Indiana; 335 vs. Nebraska); the four 300-yard passing games were tied for second most in an MSU single season (record: Smoker with six in 2003). In addition, Cook had eight 200-yard passing games, tied for fifth most in an MSU single-season, and in Big Ten games, he averaged 270.3 passing yards per game. Cook surpassed Cousins for the most wins by a Spartan starting QB in school history in the Purdue game in Week 5 (Cousins had a 27-12 record from 2009-11); Cook also tied a school record with Cousins with 39 career starts.
Cook became the first player in Big Ten history to win the Grange-Griffin Big Ten Championship Game Most Valuable Player Award twice (also won in 2013 vs. Ohio State) as he helped lead the Spartans past No. 4 Iowa, 16-13, to claim MSU's second Big Ten title in three years. Cook completed 16-of-32 passes for 191 yards against the Hawkeyes, including a key 16-yard strike to Burbridge on third-and-8 during the game-winning touchdown drive. On that same drive, which lasted 22 plays and went 82 yards in 9:04, he also rushed 2 yards for a first down on fourth-and-2 from the Iowa 5-yard line with 1:59 remaining that set up LJ Scott's 1-yard game-winning TD run with 27 seconds left. It marked Cook's sixth fourth-quarter comeback for the Spartans (2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl vs. TCU; 2013 vs. Ohio State in Big Ten Championship Game; 2014 Rose Bowl vs. Stanford; 2015 Cotton Bowl vs. Baylor; 2015 vs. Michigan, 2015 vs. Iowa in Big Ten Championship Game). Cook's five career wins over AP Top 10 teams is second in school history (Juday with six from 1963-65).
Cook posted his seventh 200-yard passing game of the season and 25th of his career, hitting 19-of-26 throws for 248 yards and three touchdowns against Penn State on Senior Day in his final appearance at Spartan Stadium. With 243 total yards vs. PSU, Cook set MSU's career record for total offense (previous record â€" 9,004 yards by Cousins, 2008-11). He became the school's all-time leader in total offense with his 16-yard completion to R.J. Shelton early in the fourth quarter.
Cook had his school-record streak of 36 consecutive starts snapped as he sat out the Ohio State game on Nov. 21 (sprained shoulder).
Cook tied a career high with four TD passes at Nebraska to set a Michigan State career record with 68, passing Cousins. Cook completed 23-of-37 passes for 335 yards and one interception along with his four TDs, and set a school record with his fourth straight 300-yard passing game (367 vs. Rutgers; 328 vs. Michigan; 398 vs. Indiana; 335 vs. Nebraska). Cook's 335 passing yards were the most ever by a Spartan QB against Nebraska.
After setting a school record with 416 yards of total offense and throwing for a career-high 398 yards in Michigan State's 52-26 win over Indiana in Week 8, Cook was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Cook also set career highs for pass completions (30) and pass attempts (52) against the Hoosiers and tied his career best with four TD passes. He produced some of the top single-game passing totals in school history: completions (tied for sixth with 30), pass attempts (sixth with 52), passing yards (second with 398) and TD passes (tied for second with 4). The 398 passing yards were just two shy of MSU's single-game record (Burke, 400, vs. Michigan in 1999).
Cook became just the second Spartan starting quarterback to defeat Michigan three consecutive times (Cousins, 2009-11) in MSU's 27-23 triumph at Michigan Stadium in Week 7. He threw his 60th career touchdown pass with a 30-yard strike to Macgarrett Kings Jr. in the third quarter and completed 18-of-39 passes overall for 328 yards.
Cook threw for 367 yards â€" the fifth-highest total in school history â€" and two touchdowns in the win at Rutgers in Week 6. His showing against the Scarlet Knights was named one of the "Great 8" performances of the week by the Davey O'Brien Award. With the score tied at 24 with 4:16 to play, Cook engineered a 10-play, 76-yard game-winning touchdown drive to lead MSU to a 31-24 win. His 29-yard completion on third-and-9 from the MSU 25 to Shelton kept the drive alive and led to Scott's 3-yard TD run with 43 seconds remaining in the game.
In MSU's 35-21 victory over Air Force on Sept. 19, Cook matched his career high with four TD passes and was 15-of-23 passing for 247 yards. He connected three times for scores with Burbridge, who tied MSU's single-game touchdown reception record against the Falcons and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
Cook completed 20-of-32 throws for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-28 win over No. 7 Oregon on Sept. 12 in Spartan Stadium.
The Hinckley, Ohio, native finished his career ranked among MSU's all-time leaders in touchdown passes (first with 71), passing yards (first with 9,194), total offense (first with 9,403 yards), pass attempts (first with 1,170), 300-yard passing games (tied for first with 10), 200-yard passing games (tied for first with 26), passing yards per game (second at 213.8 ypg.), pass completions (third with 673), passing efficiency (fourth with 139.8 rating) and pass completion percentage (10th at .575). In 43 career games, he completed 58 percent of his passes (673-of-1170) for 9,194 yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. His 71 touchdowns rank seventh in Big Ten history. Cook also tied a school record, shared with Cousins and Drew Stanton, by throwing for a touchdown pass in 16 straight games (streak started vs. Illinois on Oct. 26, 2013 and was snapped at Maryland on Nov. 15, 2014). Cook, who started a school-record 36 consecutive games at quarterback (streak began on Sept. 7, 2013 vs. South Florida and ended on Nov. 21, 2015 vs. Ohio State), had two winning streaks which rank among the longest by a Spartan starting quarterback in school history (12 from Nov. 15, 2014 to Oct. 24, 2015. is second longest; 11 from Oct. 5, 2013, to Aug. 29, 2014, is third longest; record: Al Dorow, 15 in 1950-51).
Cook and Dan Enos are the only two Spartan quarterbacks to win two bowl games as the starting quarterback (Cook: 2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton; Enos: 1989 Aloha, 1990 Sun). Cook also led the Spartans on a game-winning drive in the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl against TCU. He closed his career with several Spartan bowl records, including most passing yards (903), passing attempts (128), pass completions (69), passing touchdowns (5) and total offense (875 yards) in four games, including three starts (2-1 record).
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Cook earned his bachelor's degree in media and information in December 2015.
The 2016 NFL Draft will be conducted April 28-30 in Chicago.
Here's the complete schedule for Connor Cook's appearance on Jon Gruden's QB Camp Series:
Saturday, April 23 at 4 p.m. â€" ESPN
Sunday, April 24 at 2 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Sunday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Sunday, April 24 at 9:30 p.m. â€" ESPN2
Sunday, April 24 at 10:30 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Monday, April 25 at 6:30 a.m. â€" ESPNU
Monday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m. â€" ESPNU
Monday, April 25 at 5 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Monday, April 25 at 9 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Wednesday, April 27 at 3 a.m. â€" ESPNU
Wednesday, April 27 at 6:30 a.m. â€" ESPNU
Thursday, April 28 at 3:30 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Friday, April 29 at 4 p.m. â€" ESPNU
Thursday, May 5 at 1 p.m. â€" ESPNU
