Penn State puts pair on AFCA Good Works team list of 2026 nominees

A pair of Penn State football connections are early nominees for a top honor tied to their work away from the field. Head coach Matt Campbell and guard Cooper Cousins are both up for the AFCA Good Works team. The team which Allstate presents annually, recognizes “student-athletes and head coaches from every level of college football who are making an impact through community service, academic achievement and leadership,” according to the AFCA. Penn State is one of just a handful of FBS programs with both a head coach and player on the list of nominees. Later this year, 11 players and one coach from that level will be selected to create this year’s team. In a news release, Penn State highlights this part of Cousins’ off-field work: “Cousins was paired with 10-year-old Gannon Kupko Jr. of York County, Pennsylvania, in September 2024 through Team IMPACT, the national organization that connects children facing serious illness with college athletic programs. Born 12 weeks premature at 13 ounces, Gannon continues to undergo daily chemotherapy to manage immune dysfunction, and has become a fixture within the Nittany Lion program, seeking out Cousins first at practices, games and team events. “Last spring, Cousins represented Team IMPACT nationally at the 2025 Game Day Gala, speaking in front of more than 1,000 supporters at an event that raised over $3.3 million for children like Gannon. “You are the reason we’re better,” Cousins told the audience. “You inspire us to work harder, love deeper, and laugh a little louder. You’re not just part of the team…you are the team.” More: Will the Penn State running backs, receivers, or tight ends lead the team in touchdowns this fall? Campbell, meanwhile, has long held a ‘Victory Day’ event that ” gives more than 60 children with disabilities the chance to run drills and score touchdowns with their names announced over the public address system, each paired one-on-one with a player for the night,” per Penn State. The school adds that, upon Campbell’s arrival in town, he “restructured the roster into smaller cross-position groups with community service built directly into the model. “Players now pack lunches weekly for children in need across Centre County and visit local elementary schools to read to students and perform talent shows.” Former Penn State center Nick Dawkins is the most recent AFCA Good Works team selection. He was named the captain of the 2024 list of honorees in addition to winning the Wueffrel Trophy, which recognizes “the FBS player who best combines exemplary service with leadership and achievement on and off the field,” per Allstate.