Q: You had plenty of transfer options after last season. What were some of the main reasons you decided to come back?
COUSINS: I think the biggest reason was the commitment I’ve had for the past couple of years, even leading up to last year. I was committed here my sophomore year of high school. I was dead-set on coming to this university and playing football here. This place has everything I need and I didn’t see myself really changing based off the position I was in. The elite coaching staff that came in kind of gave me that clarity, too, of what I was walking into. Sitting down and hearing what Coach [Matt] Campbell was saying and the plan that he had for us moving forward.

Q: You’re the youngest of five kids. Your brother and two sisters went here as well. What are some of your memories of coming here before you were a student, or even before you were a recruit?
COUSINS: Fun fact about the other sister: She was supposed to come here, too, and she pulled out toward the end of high school. Growing up, I was never a Penn State fan. I was always around it. I was a huge Big Ten fan growing up. And then I came down for my brother’s orientation when I was real little and he was walking me around. We happened to walk by the stadium, and I had no idea what it was. It was like, “Where are we at? This is huge.” And then we went by the All-Sports Museum. I loved football at the time. A worker was kind enough to let us go up top and see the stadium from the top deck after hours. Seeing the whole stadium was breathtaking. I was like, “This is where I need to be.” Going there with him, and even when my sisters were here, that was the special part for me. My older sister Cece’s sophomore year was when I got my offer. She got to come down onto the field and see the field on ground level, and my other sister Cassidy was there as well. Coming down here on the weekend to drop my brother off, for me, that was like a vacation. 

Q: What should people expect to see from the offensive line and the offense as a whole this season?
COUSINS: Really, you could say this about any offensive line, but with ours, we’re going to get after it. Not only do I have that mentality but the other guys have that mentality. No matter what play is called, no matter what predicament we’re in, we’re ready to get after it. We’re going to run the play that Coach calls and execute it at a high level. There’s standards that have been set for this offensive line by a bunch of groups in the past and we’re looking to exceed those. We have a fresh start, a new start. We’re looking to come out hot and looking to work.

Q: How did your camp for young offensive linemen (Protect the Pocket) come about?
COUSINS: After my true freshman year, a guy by the name of Manny [Beason] in my hometown asked if I wanted to run an offensive line camp. Being able to come back and coach o-line in Erie is a special privilege to me, and Manny gave me that opportunity. Ever since then, just took it and ran with it. I’d say the first year (2024) we did it we had about 30 kids and then this past year we were upwards of 60. We talked about doing an o-line-d-line version next year.

Q: What does your time with Team Impact (a program that matches children with disabilities or serious injuries with athletes) and Gannon Kupko in particular mean to you?
COUSINS: It means everything. Being able to develop that relationship with Gannon early on my freshman year gave me a different perspective of what I was working for. You just never truly know what somebody is going through. When I’m going through my workout, I’m working out for Gannon. When I’m playing, I’m playing for Gannon, and those other kids in the Team Impact foundation. What they’re not capable of doing, I’m doing for them.

Q: What are you majoring in?
COUSINS: I’m a telecommunications major. Right now I want to go into the business side of that. I’m going to try to get my degree as early as possible. The plan is to get the business part of that and minor in broadcasting. Obviously, I want to play football until the wheels fall off. I don’t even like thinking about when football will be over, but I’d look at something in the broadcasting field. I could also see myself coaching somewhere.

Q: What’s the toughest part of being an offensive lineman?
COUSINS: I would say being able to come into work every day and be as consistent as you can. Being consistent in the run game and pass game and have an equal balance and being able to thrive against elite pass rushers. If you look at it, we’re going backwards, and then forwards on different plays. We have to backpedal to block a Myles Garrett or an Aaron Donald. But just being consistent and trying to perfect your game is probably the hardest part.

Q: Do you have a favorite musical artist at the moment?
COUSINS: Not at the moment.

Q: Any favorite genre?
COUSINS: I like rock, heavy metal.

Q: What’s your favorite non-football sport?
COUSINS: To watch? I love wrestling. Growing up, my brother and my dad were both wrestlers. I watched the Final X, the RAF, all of those every weekend.

Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
COUSINS: Anything my mom or dad makes. Doesn’t matter. 

Q: Five kids, and one of them 300 pounds, I think they’d both have to be good cooks.
COUSINS: My sisters gave me their plates, too, which helped. If they didn’t like it, I’d eat it.