Why Cooper Cousins Led the Charge for Penn State Players to Stay

The day after the Pinstripe Bowl in December, Penn State offensive lineman Cooper Cousins sat down with his parents to discuss his future. Cousins’ parents urged him to explore his options in the transfer portal, which opened Jan. 2, and take his time with the process.

However, Cousins said there wasn’t much to talk about, nor would he need a lengthy decision-making process. Cousins had no plans to leave the school he had tattooed on his left bicep.

“I don’t have any intentions of going anywhere,” Cousins told his parents.

“I committed here as a sophomore in high school, so my vision was clear and set in stone,” Cousins said Saturday during the THON Explorers Program at the football facility. “I'm going to go to Penn State University; I'm going to get a degree from Penn State University; I'm going to play football at Penn State University. And that was really it for me. So there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to [stay] here.”

Cousins, the 247Sports Composite’s top-ranked interior lineman of the 2024 class, has appeared in 28 games (starting two) in his two seasons at Penn State. Though he hasn’t been a full-time starter, Cousins has been an integral part of the team’s leadership group and has shown unwavering loyalty to the program.

Just two days after the Pinstripe Bowl, Cousins was the first player to publicly announce his return to Penn State. "Ready to get back to work! I BLEED BLUE AND WHITE," he posted to social media. Though 50 players transferred from the program, Cousins led a group of 52 from the Nittany Lions' 2025 roster that stayed,

“We believe in this place, we love this place,” Cousins said. “... This place is truly something special. And I was never thinking about leaving a place like Penn State.”

'Man, this guy can be awesome'

Ready to get back to work!

I BLEED BLUE AND WHITE💙🤍💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/gAU4fFcfXj
— Cooper Cousins (@cousins_cooper) December 29, 2025

After deciding to return, Cousins made his first call to new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, who was “pumped” to hear that the rising junior was staying. Then he called Campbell, and then he drove from his home in Erie, Pennsylvania, to State College to get to work recruiting.

“Funny enough, I think the next day or two, I came back up here and drove back up just to meet with them about guys that they want me to talk to,” Cousins said. “Guys were visiting here from different schools, so I stayed up here for a couple days just to talk to some guys, meet some of the transfers that came over and really just start the process all over again, just getting ready for this upcoming year.”

Cousins played in 12 games last season, saying he “had some problems with lower-body injuries” that limited his playing time. But Cousins played a season-high 78 snaps, including a few at left tackle, in Penn State’s 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Over the past two months, Cousins said he has become “fully accustomed” to the new coaching staff, which encourages visits to the offensive staff room to discuss technique and process. Clanton said that Cousins and fellow offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh made significant impacts on the program by returning.

“We didn’t want to completely rock the boat or flip it over with that room,” Clanton said of the offensive line. “We wanted those guys to stay and get developed. And sometimes, even with a lot of the players that were already here, I feel like I believe in them more than other people had. I'm watching their film like, ‘Man, this guy can be awesome.’ I get excited about watching their film.

“But having those old guys [Cousins and Donkoh] that have played a lot of football here, it means more to them. They've bled for this place, and as an O-line, that's what you're looking for: guys who are heavily invested in the program.”

Had to make sure the new squad knows Gannon Jr. is the man around here 💪#WeAre | @GoTeamIMPACT pic.twitter.com/GGG7jY37UE
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 20, 2026

Cousins has played four positions, including center, at Penn State and is focused on the right side for spring practice, which begins in March. But he’s willing to play anywhere, as long as he’s doing so for the Nittany Lions.

"It's tough seeing guys leaving and going their own way,” Cousins said. “But like I said, no matter what happened, no matter who came here, no matter who the coach is here or what was going on, I truly am in love with this place. I'm truly in love with the university, and I love the game of football, and I want to do all that here.”

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'Man, this guy can be awesome'

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