Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
2 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State received a lot of welcome news in the first week of its offseason, with running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, defensive tackle Zane Durant and defensive end Dani Dennis- Sutton, among others, announcing they planned to return for their senior seasons. Another announcement — the return of starting center Nick Dawkins for his sixth and final year of college football — didn't get quite as much fanfare, but it's a consequential development for Penn State's offense. Dawkins' return gives coach James Franklin the experience and precision that he has counted on at the center position. "Before you can learn to win, you've got to learn how not to lose," Franklin has said. "You put the game in jeopardy by playing sloppy football, turning the ball over and giving up big plays." If that's a guiding principle for your team, one of the best ways to ensure you don't play sloppy football is to rely on veterans, especially at key positions. While centers are not as highly sought-after as tackles, they are critical to an offense's smooth operation. The center must understand the game and have enough reps to work through unan- ticipated situations, all while keeping his fellow linemen on the same page. Since 2019, every starting center at Penn State has been a redshirt junior or older. Michal Menet started two seasons and was followed by redshirt seniors Mike Miranda (2021) and Juice Scruggs (2022), and then by super senior Hunter Nourzad (2023). Moreover, Miranda, Scruggs, Nourzad and Dawkins all spent at least one season as the backup before taking over the starting job. In addition to boosting Penn State's offensive line next season, Dawkins' re- turn figures to have a positive impact on the unit's performance down the road. A year ago, there was a lot of buzz about early enrollee Cooper Cousins. When spring practice began in March, the staff wanted to see what he could handle and gave him reps at center. From that point on, Penn State fans latched onto the idea that Cousins would beat out Dawkins, the veteran, for the spot. By all accounts, Cousins is a special player on and off the field, a guy with all the ingredients to be one of the best line- men to play at Penn State. But he lacked experience as a true freshman. "He probably came in further ahead than most guys and kind of skyrocketed up," Franklin said last April. "He was getting a lot of attention, and a lot of people were noticing him — coaches, teammates. Then the playbook started to build up on him — the blitzes and the different fronts. Most of these guys have a lull they've got to work through, and now he's starting to pick it back up again." Even the most talented and mature high school players will start to feel their heads dip below the water with the amount of information that semi- professional football throws at them. To digest that information and have enough command to communicate it to veteran teammates, you must first have a depth of understand- ing. While Cousins may ul- timately replace Dawkins, there was little chance he would do it in his first season. Instead, the team pivoted to getting him on the field quickly, which began a new learning process. Cousins will be a sopho- more in 2025. Is he truly ready to take the reins? The last time PSU had to make a deci- sion like that was in 2016 and '17 when Menet arrived as a five-star freshman. He didn't see the field until his second season and didn't start at center until his third. Cousins probably needs another year before he takes command of the line. Dawkins provides that buffer by returning next fall. Over the next few months, it will be interesting to watch the battle for the spot behind Dawkins on the depth chart. Who is the center of the future? While most assume Cousins is the man, he's also an elite prospect at guard. After spending his first year at that posi- tion, he's the early favorite to replace Sal Wormley on the right side of Dawkins. We saw Scruggs and Nourzad go from guard to center, and there's no reason to think Cousins couldn't do the same. The presence of former Texas A&M lineman T.J. Shanahan adds another element to the offensive line chemistry for 2025 and beyond. Shanahan is a very intelligent lineman with game reps and starting experience at guard and center. He'll be a redshirt sophomore next sea- son, so he, too, has time to develop. Dawkins will likely get the extreme veteran treatment in the spring and early in the 2025 nonconference season. We'll be watching to see how Cousins and Shanahan battle for the right to be the next man in the middle of the Penn State offensive line. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .C A R R @ O N 3 .C O M Nick Dawkins' Return Elevates PSU's Offensive Line Dawkins started all 16 games for the Nittany Lions as a redshirt senior and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten notice. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS UPON FURTHER REVIEW