The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first place vote being 10 points, and a last place vote being worth 1 point. Coming in at No. 8 is Cooper Cousins.
How he got here
Cooper Cousins is a former 4-star recruit out of Erie, who showed signs of making an impact early. He
played mostly on special teams in 2024, though he appeared on in all 16 games that season. Cousins was named preseason freshman All-American by ESPN, On3, and 247.
In 2025, he appeared in 12 of Penn State’s 13 games, with two starts. He got better as the season progressed, with his best coming in the Nittany Lions’ last game of the season, in the bowl game against Clemson.
What to expect in 2026
Everything. Cousins is one of Penn State’s most important linemen coming into 2026. His flexibility will be instrumental, as he can play both tackle and guard, and, in an absolute pinch, center as well. After having spent the past two seasons getting the requisite experience a lineman needs to make an impact, and now he’s ready to do just that.
He’s already proved to be the glue in the transition to a new coaching staff, very loudly and very visibly bleeding blue and white. Cousins, like some others ahead of him on this list, had his pick of where to go this offseason, and likely get paid a lot more than he currently is, but he chose to stay with the Lions and see this thing through.
He’s also on the 2026 Wuerffel Trophy watch list and was a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team for his community service work with Team IMPACT.
If everything comes together for Cousins, expect his placement on the counterpart to this list after the season to be much higher.
