Penn State Football Players Trebor Pena & Cooper Cousins Added To Preseason Award Watch Lists
Penn State football players Trebor Pena and Cooper Cousins made the preseason watch lists for college football awards, the organizations announced on Thursday. The first was Pena, who made the Paul Hornung Award watch list.
Paul Hornung Award Watch List
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) July 31, 2025
Awarded annually to the Most Versatile Player in College Football#WeAre x @HornungAward pic.twitter.com/6Er2wDRVk3
The award is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football. Former winners include Tavon Austin, Christian McCaffrey, and Odell Beckham Jr. The Paul Hornung Award began in 2010. Saquan Barkley in 2017 is the only Nittany Lion to win it.
Pena is coming off a fantastic season with Syracuse, where he earned second-team All-ACC honors and led the ACC in receptions. In 2024, Pena recorded 941 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging over 11 yards per reception.
The other player to make a watch list was Cousins. The offensive lineman made the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, an award presented annually to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.
Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) July 31, 2025
Exemplary Community Service & Leadership Achievement#WeAre x @WuerffelTrophy pic.twitter.com/DgV320gNfK
The award began in 2005 and is the first major award to honor character and services to others. Penn State’s Nick Dawkins became the first Penn State player to win the award last season.
Cousins is coming off his true freshman season, where he appeared in all 16 games and was named a true freshman preseason All-American by 247Sports, ESPN, and On3. As a Sophomore, he has been working with Team IMPACT as a part of his service to the community, where he has been paired with 10-year-old Gannon Kupko Jr. and represented the entire Team IMPACT organization at the 2025 Game Day Gala, helping to raise over $3 million.
“Servant Leader, #WeAre very proud of this young man and how he represents our family! Not as nice on the field,” James Franklin said in a tweet following the release of the watch list.
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