Will Penn State Need Cooper Cousins To Play Center
Penn State offensive lineman Cooper Cousins will get most of the headlines Monday after earning a five-star rating by On3, but he’s far from the only 2024 player who made a big jump in the rankings.
In addition to the updated On300, Scouting Director Charles Power and his team also updated their rankings for a few other future Nittany Lions. That includes three players who were promoted to four-star prospects.
Future Penn State defensive tackle De’Andre Cook made the biggest move, climbing from an 88 overall rating to a 90, making him a four-star. The Washington, D.C., native also climbed all the way to No. 28 at the defensive tackle position. He was previously ranked No. 51.
Last month, recruiting assistant Alan Zemaitis made his opinion on Cook clear. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, he not only has the size and strength, but Cook proved back in July that he moves well at that size, running a 4.9-second 40-yard dash and a 4.6-second shuttle.
“Cook is a guy that played [defensive end] for Friendship,” said Zemaitis. “When we were going through this recruiting class, we found that we liked and wanted guys that can move inside. Obviously, you want height and length, so sometimes you’re going to find those bigger guys out on the edge in high school.
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“A lot of those guys that we found and recruited for D-tackle position were just bigger ends, and that’s what he was. He was hampered by a high-ankle sprain, which nobody really knew about his senior year. But you saw, when he came back from it, that last game of the season, he had five sacks. He was the MVP of that game. But he’s another guy that’s like 6-4 and a half, so he’s a giant, and he can move.”
But Cook wasn’t the only future defensive lineman to earn a bump, as defensive end Jaylen Harvey also earned a 90 overall rating, making him a four-star. In an interview with Quince Orchard head coach John Kelley last month, he said that Harvey’s versatility should prove to be a major asset for the Nittany Lions in the years to come.
“I think he has really good position versatility. He can play inside or outside. I think you’ll see that as he continues to grow. He’s a guy that could play a three-technique or a four. He can pop out on the edge and play that six-tech or a five, so I think you’ll see that positional versatility with him,” said Kelley.
“Some guys just can’t do that. There are some guys that are just edge guys, and you can’t kick those guys inside to play the three or the four. They can’t do that, but he can. Plus, his hands are violent. He’s very violent at the point of attack. He has a great punch and a great strike off the ball.”
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Harvey was previously right on the bubble of earning a four-star rating, so positionally, he only moved up two spots from No. 42 to No. 40. He’ll finish as the 10th-ranked player in Maryland. Both Harvey and Cook have already enrolled at Penn State.
Just like Harvey, Pittsburgh Central Catholic wide receiver Peter Gonzalez is another player who was right on the verge of earning his fourth star. Back in November, Power moved Gonzalez up to an 89 rating, making him the highest three-star possible.
He admitted at the time that there was a good chance Gonzalez would earn his fourth star.
“I think Peter Gonzalez is knocking on the door of four-star status,” Power said. “I really like his senior film. He’s a guy who runs well for his size and is playing outside receiver at a powerhouse like Central Catholic. He’s one that I’m going to continue to dig into because our next update will mainly be centered around finalizing our four-star prospects.
“But I think, given that he’s in that upper tier of receivers with an 89 rating, he’s right on the cusp of earning a fourth star. I just really liked what I saw from him as a senior and look forward to watching more and more from his senior year. He’s clearly very athletic with good size and is making a lot of plays. I was very encouraged by what we saw from him.”
Gonzalez finished his senior season with 47 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. After tearing his ACL in Jan. 2022, he camped at Penn State last summer to solidify his offer. Gonzalez is now the 56th-ranked wide receiver nationally and the eighth-ranked player in Pennsylvania.
