UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State head football coach Matt Campbell and junior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins have been named nominees for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association announced Monday.
Penn State is one of only two Football Bowl Subdivision programs to place both a student-athlete and a head coach among this year's nominee class, which recognizes college football players and coaches at every level of competition for their impact through community service, academic achievement and leadership.
Established in 1992 and presented by Allstate since 2008, the Good Works Team is regarded as one of the sport's most meaningful honors. The 2026 team, 22 student-athletes and one honorary head coach, will be announced in September, with one student-athlete named team captain and presented the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.
- 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."
- Cousins credits his introduction to Penn State's culture of service in part to former teammate Nick Dawkins, the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy recipient.
- On the field, Cousins earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2025 and has appeared in 28 games with two starts.
- He helped anchor a front that produced the only FBS running back tandem in the country with 13-plus rushing touchdowns apiece in Kaytron Allen (15) and Nicholas Singleton (13), the first Big Ten teammates to accomplish the feat since 2012.
- Allen finished sixth nationally in rushing yards (1,303) and seventh in rushing yards per game (108.6).
- Cousins was also named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy watch list last year.
- Campbell has made community service a foundational element of every program he has led.
- He created Victory Day as head coach at Toledo and carried the tradition to Iowa State, running it annually across his 10-year tenure with the Cyclones.
- The event 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.
- "When you can serve and make a difference in the lives of others, it's like your true fulfillment in life," Campbell said. "At the end of the day, all these wins and records that you may break, or great days and great games, people forget that. But they're not going to forget how you treated people."
- Campbell moved quickly to embed the same expectations at Penn State after arriving in December 2025. 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.
- His most visible early contribution came at THON Weekend in February 2026. After defensive end Max Granville raised the idea of players contributing NIL earnings to Penn State's 46-hour dance marathon benefiting Four Diamonds, Campbell pledged to double whatever the players raised.
- Campbell also took part in the THON Explorers event at the Lasch Football Building, hosting Four Diamonds families inside the program's facility.
- "Everybody keeps talking about the power of Penn State," Campbell said from the THON stage. "Quite honestly, being here tonight, this is the power of Penn State."
About the Award
- A selection panel of former Good Works Team members, coaches, journalists and other leaders connected to the award evaluates nominees on the breadth and depth of their service, leadership, academic achievement and measurable community impact.
- The panel selects 11 FBS players, 11 players from the FCS, Divisions II and III and NAIA ranks, and one honorary head coach.