Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
2 4 J U N E / J U L 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 every single day at practice, and then the league we play in. I think he's a really, re- ally good example of a young man who has maximized his Penn State experience." In the middle, Nick Dawkins decided to return for his super senior season and will again anchor the line at center. Be- side him, redshirt junior Olaivavega Ioane returns at guard. The 6-4, 334-pounder worked at both the left and right posi- tions this spring. He started 16 games at the former spot last year but may be switching sides to replace the graduated Sal Wormley. A second-team All-Big Ten honoree last year, Ioane focused this spring on re- fining an already NFL-caliber skill set. "For me, it's all the little things, tech- nique stuff, just watching more film," he said. "I've been doing a lot of good things, me and all the guards in the room, coming in every day with the right mindset, the right work ethic, and being present and working as hard as possible." Ambitious Goals The Nittany Lions' only true vacancy on the starting offensive line is at guard. Utility man JB Nelson hit the portal this spring, leaving sophomore Cooper Cousins to battle Williams and others for the spot. Most observers are penciling in the 6-6, 308-pound Cousins as the win- ner now that Nelson is headed to Kansas State. Coaches and teammates lauded the Erie, Pa., native's performance in spring drills. "Cooper is doing really well," Shelton said. "He's always had the right mind- set. He's always had the right work ethic, just a ball player. He knows he needs to compete. He knows what he has to do to be a starting guard on this team. And just to watch him go out and try and take it every single day, it's been impressive." Trautwein made it clear that the battle will continue into preseason camp. Con- sidering how highly the coaching staff values internal competition, that's not a surprise. Even so, it would be a shock if Cousins weren't in the starting lineup when Penn State opens its season. "He's coming out and competing, working and getting better and better every practice," Trautwein said. "And he's a football guy. He just cares about ball. He's going to compete, and he's going to work hard and try to get that spot." Beyond the aforementioned group, redshirt sophomore Alex Birchmeier and true freshman Owen Aliciene are among the players who flashed dur- ing spring ball. Penn State also signed redshirt sophomore interior lineman TJ Shanahan Jr. out of the transfer portal to bolster its depth. Shanahan started five games for Texas A&M last fall. When you combine the experience of the first-team unit with the depth that has been built up in recent years, this has the potential to be the best offen- sive line of the Franklin era at Penn State. And if it lives up to that billing, there's a strong possibility that no one will be Cooper Cousins is the favorite to start at one of the guard spots for Penn State after showing promise in a reserve role as a freshman last fall. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "We look like a really athletic offensive line, but we're not small. We've got some big boys who can run and are powerful. It's a big deal." O F F E N S I V E C O O R D I N A T O R A N D Y K O T E L N I C K I