1 week Ago
STATE COLLEGE -- It’s never too early to look ahead and next year at this time, Penn State will likely be breaking in a very different-looking offensive line. James Franklin’s program has a few big bodies along the offensive front that should be coveted by NFL types in the 2026 NFL draft. Penn State has talented veterans at tackle (Drew Shelton, Nolan Rucci), guard (Vega Ioane) and center (Nick Dawkins).
One large Nittany Lion who PSU will be counting on next year is Cooper Cousins, a second-year interior offensive linemen who can play both guard spots and center. Cousins worked at right guard in Saturday’s Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium, and he is the favorite to start at one of the guard spots in the fall as the replacement for Sal Wormley. The 6-6, 308-pound Cousins, a January enrollee in 2024, sounded comfortable and confident after Saturday’s scrimmage.
With the physical gifts, mindset and work ethic he possesses, Cousins should be. One of PSU’s youngest offensive linemen is also one the team’s most serious students of the game, position coach Phil Trautwein and Cousins’ teammates will tell you. “I think this year, (I) really just focused on the technique aspect, being a technician, something coach Trautwein preaches a lot,” Cousins said, asked to compare his approach this spring compared to what he did last year.
“So, you know, I think that’s something I took in this spring, definitely just working on my technique, fine-tuning stuff that I have to fix. I thought I did a great job of that.” Franklin and Trautwein also know they have a player who can handle multiple O-line jobs if an injury arises.
Cousins -- and Ioane -- can play center. “I’m super-comfortable, rotating all three, not just me but Vega, as well,” Cousins said. “You know, it’s good to get all three positions on tape.
I can say, I’m really comfortable at all three.” But guard should be his home in 2025. And if Cousins needs any in-game advice, he can turn to Trautwein, or Ioane or Dawkins.
Franklin said after Saturday’s spring game that Dawkins “is as good leader by example as any that I’ve been around in my 30 years.” “I ask (Dawkins) a bunch of questions, a lot of the time,” Cousins said. “Just so when he departs, I can probably use some of the information that he gave me, and implement it back to the team.
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