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Penn State's Offensive Line Gets Major Boost for 2026

Lineman Cooper Cousins announced plans to return to the Nittany Lions and head coach Matt Campbell.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (50) joins the alma mater following the Nittany Lions' 46-11 win over Nevada at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (50) joins the alma mater following the Nittany Lions' 46-11 win over Nevada at Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Penn State's offensive line will bring back a key player in 2026, as sophomore Cooper Cousins signaled his plan to return to the Nittany Lions. Cousins, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, announced his intention on social media.

"Ready to get back to work!" Cousins wrote. "I BLEED BLUE AND WHITE."

Cooper's decision is critical to a Penn State offensive line that loses four starters and its position coach. Phil Trautwein, who is headed to Florida, recently said that he expected Cousins to become an All-American.

"I think he's a high draft pick. I think he's going to be an All-American here," Trautwein said on a conference call late in the season. "It's just taking him a little bit of time, and his time will come, and you guys will be able to see him, and you'll see what I mean."

Cousins (6-6, 311 pounds) has played guard the past two seasons, making two starts at the position this season. Cousins started on Penn State's re-made offensive line in the Pinstripe Bowl, playing a career-high 78 snaps. It was Cousins' second career start after Penn State opened its Nov. 1 game against Ohio State with a six-man offensive line.

Cousins expected to compete for a starting job this season after playing in all 16 games in 2024 and earning freshman All-American honors from 247Sports, ESPN and On3. He also made the watch list for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club.

Penn State, however, moved 2024 starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh to guard, leaving Cousins without a starting spot. The sophomore played a supporting role this season, as Donkoh and Vega Ioane dominated the guard spots.

Cousins played every offensive snap of the Pinstripe Bowl, in which Penn State totaled 397 yards of offense in 22-10 win over Clemson. He earned a game grade of 64.9 from Pro Football Focus, third-highest among the linemen who played.

"I love Coop, he's a heck of a football player," Trautwein said. "He could play pretty much play anywhere on the offensive line. He continues to get better every single week and, as you see, he has a bigger role. He's kind of that sixth offensive lineman when we have him. [We] need to get him a little bit more in there with the team, with the guys in first or second down or whenever. But I just want to make sure that when he is out there, he's ready to go and 100 percent confident."

Cousins was named to the preseason watch list for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, which combines on-field success with leadership and service achievement. Cousins represented the Team IMPACT organization at the 2025 Game Day Gala, which raised more than $3.3 million to support children facing critical illnesses.

A consensus 4-star recruit at Eric McDowell High, Cousins was the No. 2 interior lineman of the 2024 recruting class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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