The Cooper Cousins hype train has been rolling steadily down the tracks since he arrived at Penn State and performed well during winter workouts and spring practice. It accelerated when a successful first preseason camp earned him green-light status as a freshman who would burn his redshirt this season. Thirty-nine snaps between offense and special teams in Weeks 1 and 2 did nothing to slow things down. Then, on Thursday, a short question to offensive line coach Phil Trautwein about players from the past who Cousins might remind him of sent the proverbial train into overdrive.

“I would put him in the category of the Pounceys,” Trautwein said.

For those who are unaware, Mike Pouncey was a first-round NFL Draft pick and four-time Pro Bowler. His brother, Maurkice, also went in the first round and is a two-time first-team All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowl pick, and a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team. Both offensive linemen played with Trautwein at Florida.

“I would put him in the category of the Pounceys,” Trautwein said. “Both of them were great players, and they also had a great mindset,” Trautwein continued. “And that’s who [Cousins]. He’s relentless on the field. Loves football. Football’s his world. That was the Pounceys. And then, he moves well, he’s a mauler, and I think whenever I kind of look at him, sometimes I think about the Pounceys. so they were great teammates and great guys. So being able to have two guys that I played with that went first round and played a long time in the NFL, and comparing him to them, that’s the kind of player I think Coop is.”

Penn State freshman Cooper Cousins has a bright future

It’s extraordinarily high praise but not unexpected. No one within the program has found a bad word or anything close to it to utter when it comes to talking about the Class of 2024 signee. He has a tough, in-your-face style on and off the field that does not cross the line into degrading teammates or earning personal foul penalties.

It’s probably a good time to point out that he’s only been on campus for eight months. There will surely be bumps in the road along the way: Trautwein noted he must continue to pick up to the finer details of the offense and be more consistent with driving through blocks with his legs, which are two examples of areas for growth.

Still, Wednesday served as another reminder that Cousins’ playing time will likely only increase in the months and years ahead. In fact, Trautwein said as much. He can play guard and center, which only helps in that regard. Penn State sees him as its center of the future, but his versatility will ensure he has a long-term role in blue and white either way.

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“I see him one day, probably most likely being, a center only, but he could be both,” Trautwein said. “So that’s the great thing about it. And if our best five makes somebody else a center and him a guard, he’ll do it. And if the best five is for him to be at center, then he’ll be there as well.

“He’ll be very soon one of our top five guys because of just the way his attitude is, who he is, and how he continues to progress and take coaching. He has a bright future. I’m excited about being able to play him and continue to play him. He’s embracing that role, and he continues to get better every day of practice, and it’s awesome.”

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