Tag: Cooper Cousins

Penn State’s Class of 2024 called ‘most underrated nationally’

Did Penn State just sign one of the most overlooked recruiting classes in the Class of 2024?

Penn State had a relatively quiet February national signing day this week after locking up its Class of 2024 back in the early signing period in December. But the pieces came together and Penn State put together another good quality class that should provide some key players for future success and add to the quality depth across the roster. It may not have been loaded with blue-chip talent like some other schools, but Penn State’s Class of 2024 should serve its role fairly well and is widely regarded as one fo the top 15 recruiting classes in the nation.

And according to College Sports Wire, it just may be the most underrated recruiting class in the nation.

“In total, six of the top twenty classes overall came from the Big Ten. That included Penn State, which came on at No. 15,” noted College Sports Wire. “While that is a solid ranking, the Penn State class could have an argument to be the most underrated overall class in the country on paper.”

Penn State’s recruiting class for the Class of 2024 ranks third in the Big Ten behind Oregon and Ohio State and holds the no. 15 ranking in the nation according to the updated 247Sports composite rankings.

College Sports Wire singled out the additions of tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, and cornerback Jon Mitchell. See what College Sports Wire had to say about Penn State’s Class of 2024 and star players coming into the program.

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Where Penn State ranks in updated On3 team rankings for 2024

On3 updated its Class of 2024 team rankings. Here is where Penn State sits ahead of the next signing period.

The final days in the recruiting cycle for the Class of 2024 are nearly upon us. The traditional signing period will open back up next week on February 7 as the final decisions to be made from any undecided high school football players are made official. The introduction to the early signing period has changed the game in a major way though as many programs already have the majority of their recruiting class, if not all of it, already signed and ready to go for the upcoming year. In the case of Penn State, a number of those commitments are already on campus and enrolled in classes so they can participate in offseason workouts and spring football practices.

With the vast majority of FBS programs in a similar boat as Penn State, On3 has updated its class rankings for the Class of 2024 one final time before the signing period opens back up. It is unlikely to change too much from this point on, although there could be some minor adjustments to come. So, where did Penn State round out its Class of 2024 according to the updated On3 class rankings?

On3 ranks Penn State’s Class of 2024 at no. 16 overall with a score of 91.212. This national ranking actually dipped four spots since the last time we took a look at On3’s rankings. Just eight days ago, On3 ranked Penn State at no. 12 overall in the nation.

The updated On3 class ranking has Penn State ranked fourth among Big Ten programs in 2024. New member Oregon takes the top spot among Big Ten programs at no. 3 overall, and they are followed by Ohio State at no. 4 overall. Defending national champion Michigan takes the spot directly ahead of Penn State at no. 15 overall.

Penn State’s recruiting class did get a nice push with star offensive lineman [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag] getting bumped up to a five-star ranking by On3, but that was not enough to change the overall outlook much compared to other programs.

For the sake of comparisons, Penn State’s Class of 2024 is ranked no. 12 overall by 247Sports and no. 14 on its composite rankings. Rivals has Penn State at no. 16.

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Penn State Class of 2024 profile: Four-star OT Cooper Cousins brings starting potential as a freshman

Snapshot recruiting profile of Penn State’s four-star commit, Cooper Cousins.

As National Signing Day approaches in early February, let’s break down the longest-tenured Penn State commit [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag].

Cousins committed to the Nittany Lions almost two years ago to the day on January 29th, 2022. The Erie, PA native is a consensus 4-star recruit who shined at the recent All-American Bowl and might be in line for a starting tackle position after the departure of [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] to the NFL.

Not only is Cousins a behemoth of a man at 6-foot-6, 323 pounds, but for a kid his size, he is very athletic. [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] raved about his future player, especially his versatility along the offensive line.

“Coop’s kind of an unusual guy, right?” Franklin said. “I think, first of all, I think he can play all five positions. You don’t usually see a 6-foot-6, 320-pound guy play center. I think that’s unusual.”

Considering depth across the roster, an offensive lineman who can play all five positions is huge. Franklin even alluded to the fact that Cousins’ rankings were possibly impacted by many recruiting sites listing him as an interior lineman despite his natural positional being tackle.

Based on Franklin’s high praise for Cousins and his performance in the All-American Bowl, it sure sounds like he’ll have an opportunity to produce right away.

Here is a look at Penn State Class of 2024 commit Cooper Cousins.

Penn State commit Cooper Cousins is impressing at All-American Bowl

Penn State commit is having an impressive showing at the All-American Bowl.

Now that Penn State’s 2023-24 season is officially over, it’s time to turn the page and get ready for the upcoming year as new players are entering the program after graduations and departures of others.

Some might argue that looking ahead is the best thing the Nittany Lions can do after a dud to end their year against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl that might have raised more questions and concerns than answering them.

One thing Penn State will have to do next season is replace some departures on their offensive line.

While they have some talent waiting who might be able to step in and immediately become impact players, one incoming offensive lineman who might get a look at being a freshman starter is [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag].

The class of 2024 commit was the first person to decided he wanted to play at Penn State out of his class and had a huge impact on getting other players to follow him to Happy Valley.

Even if Cousins doesn’t become a starter his first year on campus, it seems like the Nittany Lions have landed a good one based on what is coming out of the All-American Bowl.

Charles Power of On3 had high praise for the Penn State commit after Day 2 of the event, saying, “Through two days, Cooper Cousins has looked like the top interior offensive lineman at All-American Bowl practices. He continued to look strong throughout Day 2, winning the majority of his reps.”

On3’s industry rankings have the 6’6″ 325 pound prospect as the 113th best player in his class and the No. 4 interior offensive lineman.

What makes him so special and how does he project going forward?

“He carries his weight very well and is an easy mover. Cousins has flashed good hand placement to go with his advanced physical traits. Once he latches onto a defensive lineman, the rep is typically over. The readymade size also allows for unique positional versatility. It’s not inconceivable to see him playing multiple spots along the offensive front in State College. The future Nittany Lion looks like one of the more ready-to-play offensive linemen in San Antonio,” writes Power.

That’s a great sign for the Nittany Lions who have struggled fielding an elite offensive line during [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s tenure that can compete with the top teams across the Big Ten.

As more talent enters into the conference, Penn State will have to continue focusing on offensive line recruiting and development.

Having Cousins in the program is a great step moving forward as he continues to show his elite traits.

Top five interior offensive linemen signed to the Big Ten during the early signing period

Top five interior offensive linemen signed to the Big Ten during the early signing period #GoBucks

The initial hype of the early signing period has died down, but there was a ton of talent to explore and so much so we are breaking it down by position. We have already dove into the top five quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive tackles to sign with Big Ten teams and now we want to break down a position that Ohio State actually makes an appearance on after the two position dry-spell in interior offensive linemen.

The Big Ten can recruit linemen and apparently, that is especially true when it comes to the interior as the conference has snagged five of the top ten prospects at the position in the country. Interior offensive linemen are players who are projected to play at either center or guard in college.

A new West Coast addition snagged the top honors, but there are some traditional Big Ten powers making an appearance as well. Let’s now dive into the top five interior offensive lineman to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period according to 247Sports.

Biggest theme of Penn State’s 2024 class: balance

Penn State’s 2024 class offers one of the more balanced recruiting hauls in the country.

With the first and busiest day of the college football early signing period behind us, we can confirm that Penn State signed all 25 of its Class of 2024 commits earlier today. It was a “drama-free” signing day according to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] who spoke after all the commits had signed. The class is now locked in for next year so let’s break it down.

Penn State returns a boatload of starting-caliber players from last season but will lose several starters to the NFL with more expected to announce in the coming month. Penn State has never been a heavy transfer portal school and relies mainly on keeping its returning players intact while reloading with a strong freshman class.

This years’ class is ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports Composite and 16th by On3. With 12 offensive commits and 13 defensive commits this year’s group is evenly balanced eluding to the fact that Franklin and his staff want to add quality depth around the board and fill in any neccessary holes from departing players.

From a positon standpoint is was more of the same type of balance across the board:

  • 7 skill players: QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Quintin Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag], wide recievers [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Tyseer Denmark[/autotag], and [autotag]Peter Gonzalez[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • 5 offensive lineman: [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • 6 defensive lineman: [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag], [autotag]DeAndre Cook[/autotag], [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag], and [autotag]Mylachi Williams[/autotag]
  • 5 secondary players: cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenneth Woseley, Jon Mitchell, and safties Dejuan Lane, and Vaboue Toure
  • 2 linebackers: Kari Jackson and Anthony Specca

No one position or side of the ball dominated the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State, but thats a good thing because it shows that Penn State has talent everywhere. Three wide recievers were added to arguably the worst room in 2023 and a playmaking running back was added to a room featuring two former 5-star recruits. The trenches were reloaded with talent and many of the offensive line commits should challenge for starting spots in their first year.

In the time of the transfer portal and NIL perhaps a early signing day like the one Penn State had today is not exciting, but it does not matter Franklin’s method of “underpromise, overdeliver” method still produces wins. It has in the past. Penn State’s 2024 class is balanced, solid, and most importantly adds talent across the board which is key for sustained success.

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Which Class of 2024 players will enroll early at Penn State?

It looks like a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will be on campus in January to get a jump with offseason workouts.

Now that Penn State has officially signed its Class of 2024 on the first day of the early signing period, or at least all of the commitments they had lined up, the page is quickly turning forward. Not to look past the upcoming Peach Bowl against Ole Miss later this month, but winter workouts and spring football will be here before you know it! And it seems a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 is expected to be on campus and ready to get started working with their new teammates and coaches.

Here are the players in Penn State’s Class of 2024 that are reportedly expected to enroll early in January and get started with the program:

  • DL [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag]
  • WR [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]De’Andre Cook[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag]
  • QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag]
  • LB [autotag]Kari Jackson[/autotag]
  • RB [autotag]Quinton Martin[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag]
  • TE [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag]

Every other member of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will join the program in the summer.

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Early Signing Day Tracker: Say hello to Penn State’s Class of 2024

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting …

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting to receive signed National Letters of Intent from their verbal commitments to make things official. There could always be a player or two who hold off until the traditional signing period in February for one reason or another, but Penn State is hoping for a pretty simple and straightforward opening to the early signing period.

Here is a look at each player who committed to Penn State in the Class of 2024 recruiting calendar and an update on which players have signed in the early signing period.

Penn State adds preferred walkon offensive lineman Logan Bahn to Class of 2024

Penn State picks up a commitment out of New Jersey to add to its offensive line haul for 2024.

Penn State has focused on beefing up the offensive line in recent recruiting classes, which has helped lead to one of the top offensive lines of the James Franklin era this season. And already making moves to add to the depth in the Class of 2024, the Nittany Lions have added another piece to the recruiting haul.

Logan Bahn, from Ramsey, NJ, announced his commitment to Penn State on his social media account on Thursday.

“After an amazing visit to Penn State [Wednesday] and a phone call with Coach James Franklin [Thursday], I’m excited to announce that I am 100% committed to Penn State football,” Bahn announced. “Can’t wait to get to work!”

Bahn has no recruiting ranking from 247Sports, but he was clearly on Penn State’s radar form a pipeline state. Bahn will join Penn State as a preferred walk-on and reportedly chose that path over options to play for FCS schools including Bucknell, Penn, Cornell, and Colgate. Bahn reportedly had interest in Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple during his recruiting process. None of the FBS schools on his 247Sports recruiting profile had extended a scholarship offer.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 currently has commitments for the offensive line from four-star players Liam Andrews, Donovan Harbour, [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], and three-star players Garrett Sexton and [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag].

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Updated On3 recruiting rankings gives big boost to Penn State commits

Penn State’s Class of 2024 gets a boost form updated On300 player rankings from On3.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 lineup of commitments continues to impress in the national rankings with a consensus top 10 class being put together. But on Monday, a number of Penn State commitments saw a nice boost to their individual recruiting ranking from On3, with three players moving up into the top 100 in the nation.

Offensive lineman Garrett Sexton moved up nearly 70 spots in the 2024 recruiting rankings by going from no. 112 overall in the nation up to no. 44. The newest member of the Class of 2024 lineup, defensive lineman Mylachi Williams, cruised all the way up to no. 79 from no. 205. And tight end Luke Reynolds saw a massive surge by jumping all the way up to no. 81 after not being ranked in the On300 rankings previously.

Other notable risers in the On300 rankings from On3 included quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (no. 176), offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (no. 215), and defensive back Dejuan Lane (no. 274). All three players were previously out of the On300.

Penn State has a few other players in the Class of 2024 On300, of course. Quinton Martin (no. 109), Vaboue Toure (no. 206), and Jon Mitchell (no. 155), Josiah Brown (no. 297) are among the commits ranked inside the On300.

The updated recruiting rankings also gave Penn State a boost on the On3 team rankings for the Class of 2024. The updated rankings boosted Penn State from no. 10 in the On3 class rankings up to no. 8.

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