The golden era of Michigan State football was led by a few guys, but one, in particular, was the most polarizing because he wasn’t named a captain despite playing the most important leadership position on the field. That caused the media to run a nasty smear campaign and he eventually plummeted in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Connor Cook was a one-time projected first-round pick but fell on draft day and eventually ended up with the Raiders where he began his career as a backup.
Cook eventually started a playoff game for the Raiders due to injuries, but it didn’t quite go as planned. He struggled against the Texans and then his NFL career kind of fizzled out after that. He will still only be remembered for being a Spartan legend, dominating Michigan, and winning multiple Big Ten titles, beating Urban Meyer and Ohio State, and winning a Cotton and Rose Bowl.
Michigan State had its most successful era in decades with Cook running the offense under Mark Dantonio. Even right before and right after him, the Spartans found success.
The reason for that? Cook had an answer.
According to Owen Oszust, Cook explained that Michigan State was so successful while he was there because guys didn’t want to transfer.
"The reason we were so great was because guys wanted to stay. And they did stay. And no one was looking to transfer. If we had guys looking to do that, maybe we never would’ve won a championship, let alone two, and won a Rose Bowl and a Cotton Bowl so I think we had it good."Connor Cook, former MSU QB
While he’s not wrong, it’s just a different era now and it’s unlikely to see 90-plus percent of players stay every offseason. It was a different time when Cook was quarterback and he knows that.
A high retention rate is possible, but probably not every single year.
The Connor Cook era was special
There weren’t many eras that Michigan State fans cherished more than the Dantonio era, but also when Cook was leading the team.
Although he wasn’t a captain, which was a storyline that was blown out of proportion for an entire year, Cook was one of the best quarterbacks to ever come through East Lansing and what he did for the program was immeasurable. He helped lead Michigan State back to the top of college football for the first time in decades and it led to somewhat of a recruiting boom.
Unfortunately, the program struggled the year after he left but had a resurgence in 2017 with Brian Lewerke breaking out. The 2018 and 2019 seasons weren’t quite as good and the Dantonio era ended abruptly on a sour note.
It’s also years like 2022-2025 that make fans appreciate the Cook era even more.
Add us as a preferred source on Google