Although he isn’t one of the starters on the offensive line right now, Cooper Cousins may have the brightest future out of any OL that Penn State has.
Line coach Phil Trautwein went as far as to compare him to his former teammates in Mike and Maurkice Pouncey on Thursday.
“They both had great mindsets, and that’s who (Cousins) is,” Trautwein said. “He is relentless on the field. Football is his world. Whenever I look at him, I think of the Pounceys.”
Of course, the Pounceys went on to have outstanding NFL careers after playing with Trautwein at Florida. Mike Pouncey had a 10-year career with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers, while Maurkice spent his entire 11-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cousins’ versatility makes him valuable for PSU. His main focus is as a center, but he can also play both guard positions. Trautwein said he just wants to see Cousins out on the field, wherever that may be in the future.
“One day I see him most likely being a center only, but he can be both,” Trautwein said. “That’s the great thing about it. If our best five makes somebody else at center and him at guard, he’ll do it. If the best five is for him to be at center, he’ll be there. Very soon he’ll be one of our top five guys. It’s just the way his attitude is. He has a bright future. He’s embracing that role.”
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Rucci transferred in from Wisconsin over the offseason. Most thought that he would be immediately penciled in as the starter at right tackle, but he’s only spelled second-year player Anthony Donkoh so far.
It sounds like it isn’t worth reading too much into so far as it’s a matter of Rucci becoming more comfortable with the offense.
“He came in this spring and he got better, and he continues to get better,” Trautwein said. “As he gets more comfortable with the offense, his role will increase. He played about 11 plays Week 1 and he played about 25 plays Week 2, and he played both right and left. I like the way he’s progressing and becoming more versatile. That’s big if he can be the swing tackle.”
“When he got here, he only had about 90 reps for the last three seasons, and already he’s played almost 40 snaps. That’s big for him.”
