Barkley had a monster night, rushing for 109 yards and two scores, on 24 carries. He also had a receiving touchdown, as he added 23 yards receiving on two catches.
The performance turned a lot of heads, including that of Actor, Philadelphia native and Eagles superfan Michael Blackson. “We finally have a running game,” Blackson said to RG.org. “They are talented, and we have Saquon Barkley, and now we have a running game.”
Indeed now the Eagles finally have a stellar tailback, to complement franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts, in the offensive backfield. Combine them with A.J. Brown, and now Philly has a big three at the offensive skill positions to center the team around. Not to mention DeVonta Smith, who is exceptional as a WR2.
And Barkley has made an instant impact every single place that he has been.
At 2016 B1G Championship Media Day, Penn State Head Coach James Franklin was asked to give a “refresher” on Saquon Barkley, and to reiterate the specific story of how he recruited the tailback supreme.
“Yeah, he was committed to another Big Ten school before we got the job,” Franklin said.
“Then we showed up and felt like he was a guy we couldn’t let leave the state. I played at a Division II school in the state called East Stroudsburg. My best wide receiver and deep threat, Dennis McWhite, was his position coach in high school.
So That helped. I probably should have thrown him the ball a few more times in college. But that helped.”
“Obviously once we were able to kind of get to know him, his guidance counselors, his high school coach, his parents, it just made sense. It just made sense for him and his family to stay close to home. He had a chance to get a world-class education, play football and stay close to home. It made sense.”
“It’s worked out well for us. He had a great senior year in high school and has been able to translate that into the Big Ten, is really doing well.”
Barkley would lead Penn State to the victory over Wisconsin, and with it, the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth.
“I’m really proud of him, as good as he’s doing on the football field, he’s doing just as well in the classroom,” Franklin continued.
“He’s probably doing better in the community. He’s been great when it comes to community service, how he’s handled all this success that’s happened so quickly for him. He’s handled it better probably than any young player I’ve ever been around,” Franklin continued.
From there Barkley wowed absolutely everybody at another big event staged in Indianapolis, the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine, otherwise known as “Underwear Olympics.”
Saquon Barkley saw his NFL Draft stock shoot up the charts after he put up 29 bench press reps, second to only DL Kylie Fitts of Utah among combine attendees under 270 pounds. Barkley, who also ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and had a 41-inch vertical, is 43 pounds lighter than Fitts.
There was a lot of talk that he would get selected first overall, which just doesn’t happen for running backs these days.
Coincidentally, it was another Nittany Lion, Ki-Jana Carter, (Cincinnati Bengals, 1995) who last accomplished the feat.
The NFL moved away from taking tailbacks at the very top of the draft, instead focusing on passers, pass-rushers, and pass defending specialists. Yes, the cliche is certainly true- “it’s a pass first league.”
Saquon Barkley went second overall to the New York Giants, behind only Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield, to the Cleveland Browns.
However, it was Saquon Barkley who won Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. He ran for over 1,300 yards that season, and would go on add three more 950+ rushing yard seasons with the NYG before moving on to Philadelphia.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.