Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
A P R I L 2 0 2 4 3 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M pounds when he arrived as part of the team's 2023 recruiting class and is now up to 252 after a year in Losey's weight room. "Jameial Lyons is another guy who emerged this offseason," Losey said. "Unbelievable athleticism. You got glimpses of it this past year with him getting a little bit of playing time. I'm excited for him." Other players who caught the staff's eye this winter were sophomore line- backer Tony Rojas, redshirt junior safety Zakee Wheatley and redshirt senior de- fensive end Zuriah Fisher. Transfers Impress Losey said he liked what he saw from Penn State's incoming transfers, a list highlighted by Fleming, who enrolled at PSU in January after four years at Ohio State, redshirt junior offensive line- man Nolan Rucci and cornerbacks Jalen Kimber and A.J. Harris. "We bring in the right type of guys, Penn State guys who fit well with our culture," Losey said. "I'm proud of all of our transfers who have come in." Fleming earned praise for how he's handled his first months on campus at Penn State. As Losey noted, the former five-star prospect from Catawissa, Pa., has gone about his business without distraction. "He's a very mature young man who came in, and his actions have told his story. He hasn't said much, nor have I asked him to say much. He just put his head down and he's worked and he's earned the respect of the football team," Losey said. "Now, it always helps when you're acquainted with most of the guys on the team like he is. He's a PA guy. But I'm really happy with him. Just came in, didn't say much, just let his work do the talking." The same sentiment applies to Rucci, as well. Losey said the Lititz, Pa., native has "not missed a beat," since returning to his home state after three seasons at Wisconsin. As for Harris and Kimber, who came to PSU from Georgia and Florida, re- spectively, the two cornerbacks "are all about their business." "They're here for a reason," Losey said. "They didn't just come here to hang out and collect a scholarship. Those guys are very businesslike in the way that they go about it, which makes it nice for me because you don't have to worry about the demeanor and their ap- proach every day. You just worry about administering the program to them. They've been great." Freshman Highlights Cooper Cousins, the lone five-star prospect in Penn State's class as rated by On3, had the most buzz of the 16 early enrollees in Penn State's 2024 contingent. The 6-6, 319-pound inte- rior offensive lineman from Erie, Pa., combines size and athleticism, making him a player to watch already, just three months into his college career. And it hasn't just been his physical stamina that impressed during winter workouts. "Physically, yeah, he was ready to go," Losey said. "He was one of the best guys as far as keeping communication with us, as far as what the expectation was when they first stepped on campus as a midyear [enrollee]. "But his mental game and the way he is with his teammates and the guys within his class — I think he's got some serious leadership ability. I could see him being a future leader for us down the road, just [because of ] the way he communicates with his peers. He doesn't necessarily communicate amongst his class like you would think a freshman in college would. "He's hard on his peers. It's diffi- cult for a lot of these guys to be hard on somebody who's the same age as them or one or two years younger or older, but he's good about that. He's hard on guys around him, but he also loves them and he's compassionate toward them when they deserve it and when they need it. I think he's really mature in that sense." Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, run- ning back Quinton Martin Jr. and tight end Luke Reynolds also earned shoutouts from Losey for being impressive out of Coach James Franklin will be hoping to see Penn State reap the benefits this fall of the improvements it has made to its weight facilities at the Lasch Building. PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL