WVU OL Coach Rick Trickett High on Cam Cook, Expects Greatness

Aside from maybe WVU head coach, Rich Rodriguez, Rick Trickett probably knows as much about what makes a great running back as anyone. He, of course, witnessed Steve Slaton dominate in front of his offensive line.

Trickett also knows the importance of protecting a star back and the importance of the relationship between the player running with the ball and the offensive line.

Now back in West Virginia and serving Rodriguez as his offensive line coach again, the 78-year-old coaching veteran with four decades of the craft behind him detailed why Cam Cook has all the makings of being the next great Mountaineer back.

“A really good guy, a really good team guy. It’s not a me-or-an-I guy. He’ll do anything he has to do to help us win,” said Trickett.

“A good person and I think a really damn good football player. He can catch the ball. I think he was ranked one or two in the country at first misses. He got a little knack about that first guy not tackling him, so that makes him very good. He knows how to take a lick, how to deliver a lick. But he’s what West Virginia football is all about. He’s what you want sitting in this room. If we had everybody playing and sitting in this room going to do what he does to win, we’ll be in great shape. He’s a great guy, a great football player.”

Heavily hyped and a member of multiple preseason All-America teams, Cook will try to take his game another level in Rich Rodriguez’s system.

West Virginia running back Cam Cook carries the ball during the Gold-Blue Festival’s scrimmage in April, 2026. (WV Sports Now photo by Kelsie LeRose)

Coming to West Virginia after being the nation’s leading rusher in 2025 with Jacksonville State, Cook still has plenty left to prove as a Mountaineer, namely if he can pivot his ability to be a workhorse over to the Power Four level.

Can he dominate to the same level in the Big 12? Can he handle a big workload without much experience behind him? Will Cook be enough if West Virginia does not find stable backups to share the touches in a run-first offense? These are all valid questions people are asking and wondering about when it comes to Cook as a Mountaineer.

Fully aware of the pressure and expectations, Cook is confident in himself, too. He knows he can take the WVU offense to new heights in 2026.

Cook explained his mentality and why he holds himself to a very high standard after spring practice on Monday, March 30. On the heels of being the nation’s leading rusher in 2025, Cook feels ready to be a featured back in the Big 12 again.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team,” Cook said about his role as a Mountaineer. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to help us get to where we need to go. Last year, they asked me to do a lot, and I did whatever the team needed.”

“I have changed a lot since then,” responded Cook when asked how he’s changed since starting his college career at TCU.

“I’m a bigger back, I’m faster and smarter. I know what’s going on on all sides of the field. Not just what the running back is doing, but how the offensive line is blocking and where they’re trying to get to.”

Find more coverage of Cam Cook and WVU football at WV Sports now.

For a related story, Cam Cook opened up about why he picked West Virginia and why he fits so well in Rich Rodriguez’s system.