Cooper Cousins had a goal and a plan in mind when he committed to Penn State as a sophomore in high school, leading his 2024 recruiting class and eventually becoming one of the most vocal members of the Nittany Lions’ roster.

Like everyone else in Happy Valley, his path faced an unexpected shift with the firing of coach James Franklin and major turnover inside the football program.

Was it ever a consideration to enter the transfer portal and go elsewhere?

“Absolutely not,” Cousins — the former top Pennsylvania prospect from Erie — said without hesitation.

The junior offensive lineman detailed his decision to return in 2026 with local media during Penn State’s annual THON Explorers event on Saturday, when Four Diamonds families faced with pediatric cancer have the opportunity to spend time with members of the football team.

He acknowledged last season’s events — including a fall from preseason No. 2 rankings and national title hopes — were “a shock.” Cousins also entered the year with designs on earning a starting job but had various lower-body injuries that kept him in a rotational role behind a veteran group of starters.

But Cousins has the Pennsylvania state outline tattooed on the inside of his left bicep with a Penn State logo set in the middle of it. He referenced it when making clear why he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I wanted to keep sacrificing for this place, and I wasn’t going to sit out in games because I love this place,” Cousins said. “This place is bigger than football for me because of stuff like this, like THON.”

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The Thon Explorers Program held in the Lasch football building.

Finally healthy, Cousins started in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson and excelled. His parents sat him down at home the following day and urged him to take his time with the decision, evaluating all options on the table.

“But I told them I don’t have any intentions of going anywhere,” Cousins said. “My vision was clear and set in stone. I’m going to go to Penn State University, I’m going to get a degree from Penn State University and 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 gonna be here.”

Cousins was among the first in a key core of 2025 Nittany Lions who decided to follow first-year coach Matt Campbell with Penn State, announcing his decision two days after the Pinstripe Bowl with a message:

“Ready to get back to work! I BLEED BLUE AND WHITE”

Cousins returned to campus shortly after his visit back home and instantly became a key piece of Campbell and Co.’s recruiting pitch to 55 newcomers, between the transfer portal and high school recruiting. They wanted him and other returners in place and talking with recruiting targets about Penn State and the culture behind Nittany Lion football.

It was a similar role he played when he pledged his services to the blue and white more than two years before he officially enrolled on campus.

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

Cousins said he’s quickly become accustomed to new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton and the rest of the staff, who have cultivated a personable relationship with players that includes more face time in offices and open discussion about scheme or technique.

Now, the leader of Penn State’s offseason will work to be a leader on the field in 2026. He has an inside track to the starting right guard spot, where he’ll primarily work in spring, but is open to whatever the staff needs from him.

As long as it happens at Penn State.

“No matter what happened, no matter who came here, no matter who was the coach here or what was going on, I truly am in love with this place,” Cousins said. “I’m truly in love with the university and I love the game of football. And I want to do all that here. Like I said, there was no doubt in my mind I was staying here. I was stuck here.”

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