Penn State Football: 15 best running backs in Nittany Lions history
By John Buhler
Saquon Barkley was going to show up on this all-time list at some point. What he did at Penn State in three years is still very fresh in all of our minds. He may now be entering his second season in the NFL as the star running back for the New York Giants, but we will never forget all that he did in Penn State uniform.
Barkley first came to Penn State as a true freshman in 2015. He was a big contributor right away for head coach James Franklin. In his first year playing college ball, Barkley was a 1,000-yard rusher for Penn State, something he would be in all three years he spent in Happy Valley. His 1,076 rushing yards and seven trips to pay dirt in 2015 were just signs of more good things to come for the phenomenal tailback from Whitehall.
As a sophomore in 2016, Barkley exploded out of the Penn State backfield for 1,496 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. This would help him be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten. No, Barkley was not done heading into what was his final year with the program before turning pro.
In his junior season of 2017, Barkley finished with 1,271 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Through the first two months of the college football season, Barkley looked to be in the driver’s seat for the Heisman Trophy before he unfortunately cooled off and Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield caught fire.
Regardless, Barkley was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive season. He would also win the Paul Hornung Award and be named a consensus All-American. Barkley finished his illustrious Penn State career with 671 carries for 3,843 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. As a pass catcher, he hauled in 102 balls for 1,195 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
Barkley is second all time in career rushing yards at Penn State and holds several school records, including career rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and yards from scrimmage. His football journey is just getting started in the Big Apple, but Barkley’s Penn State legacy is a strong one and one that almost guarantees that he’ll eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.