James Cook said Wednesday that he has graduated from the University of Georgia, adding one more milestone to a career that has already stretched from a national title run in Athens to a leading role in Buffalo. The 26-year-old will take part in Georgia’s commencement ceremony on May 8.
Cook played four seasons at Georgia, appearing in 50 games and finishing with 1,503 rushing yards and 14 scores. He was part of the Bulldogs’ 2021 National Championship victory before entering the NFL after the 2022 draft, where the Bills brought him in as one of the standout backs in that class.
His college announcement landed at a moment when Buffalo has already closed the book on its 2026 draft, adding 10 new players after trading back three times in the first round. The Bills did not make another selection after No. 26 until No. 91 before moving up to No. 66, a maneuver that drew a B- grade from draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Cook’s path has been tied to that kind of patience before. He once chose to stay at Georgia for another season, saying in January 2022 that finishing with the players he arrived with felt special and that the group had come together as brothers to get the job done. That decision helped fuel the championship run and gave him one last college season before he headed to the Bills.
The contrast is sharp now. Cook has played 66 games for Buffalo and rushed for 4,259 yards in his career there, including the 1,621 rushing yards that led the league in the most recent season cited in the article. Georgia has its degree ceremony on the calendar. Buffalo has a draft class, a reshaped board and another season ahead. Cook has already managed to sit between both worlds and keep producing in each of them.
