Penn State football’s had good fortune at the center position in recent years, and true freshman Cooper Cousins is looking to follow in the lineage.
Two seasons ago, Juice Scruggs started at the position and helped Penn State to an 11-2 season that culminated with a win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. Scruggs ended up going to the Texans in the second round of the 2023 Draft and became a regular starter at left guard on a playoff team in his rookie season.
Last year, Hunter Nourzad was Penn State’s man at center and played well enough to be drafted by the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the fifth round this past April.
Now, Penn State has a hole at center, and the true freshman Cousins will be competing to fill that hole. He’s the latest subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State player.
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 315 pounds
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Before Penn State: Cooper Cousins was the first player to commit to Penn State’s 2024 class, doing so in January 2022 when he was still a sophomore at McDowell High School. Penn State’s next commit, LB Anthony Speca, didn’t do so until more than a year later. A two-time team captain at McDowell, Cousins helped his team to three district titles and was a three-time All-State performer. This success led to him becoming a four-star prospect.
Where he stands: It seems that the center position will be a battle between Cousins and fifth-year senior Nick Dawkins. Although Dawkins is more experienced in years, he hasn’t started a game in four seasons at Penn State.
Cousins has the size to get playing time right away, and the versatility to play multiple positions on the line. Even if Cousins isn’t Penn State’s Week 1 starter at center, there’s no reason to think he won’t be a factor on the line in Year 1.
A quote by Cousins: ”I can play all five (positions on the line). I played tackle in high school, I played guard and I played center. I played center for two years, so that’s where the majority of my reps are. I told them (Penn State), ‘Anywhere you need me to be a contributor, anywhere you need to put me to win football games, I will play and I will compete to the best of my ability.'” — Cousins to 247Sports.
A quote about Cousins: ”He’s another guy that’s done a ton of really good things this spring and I think come fall camp, he’s going to put himself in position (to compete).” — Head coach James Franklin to reporters after an April practice.
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