Penn State football offensive lineman Cooper Cousins was one of 80 players named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man Of The Year watch list on Thursday evening.

Schools selected nominees for demonstrating leadership, exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship on and off the field. The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field.

Through his work with Team IMPACT, Cousins continues to be recognized for his service, earning additional nominations to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team earlier this summer.

In September of 2024, Cousins was paired up with 10-year-old Gannon Kupko Jr. of York County, Pennsylvania. Kupko was born 12 weeks premature at 13 ounces. While he continues to undergo daily chemotherapy to manage immune dysfunction, he has become a fixture in the Nittany Lion program, seeking out Cousins at practices, games, and team events.

Twenty semifinalists will be selected by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee and announced on October 13. The committee will name three finalists on December 14 and announce the winner at the award ceremony in Spring 2027.