Penn State football WR KJ Hamler dismisses Saquon Barkley comparisons
Don’t tell Penn State football’s KJ Hamler he had a Saquon Barkley type of run because he’s not a fan of the comparisons.
It’s hard to overcome comparisons in today’s day and age when it comes to college football. As the game has been around for decades up until this point, we’ve seen so many players come in and do great things. So naturally, it’s always easy to compare up and coming players to somebody we’ve already seen before in the past.
While comparisons typically tend to be a compliment, not every player likes to hear them. And it’s not because they view it in a negative light — it’s more because they want to create a name for themselves. Penn State football wide receiver KJ Hamler falls under that category.
As Hamler is easily the most explosive playmaker currently rostered for the Nittany Lions, he can’t help but escape comparisons to a Penn State legend. A couple of years back, we witnessed some of the most ridiculous plays by former Penn State running back, Saquon Barkley.
Due to Barkley’s speed and shiftiness, he always had the viewers on the edge of their seats whenever he had the ball. Nowadays, Penn State fans feel that way about Hamler. Therefore, the redshirt sophomore had already heard the Barkley comparisons — especially after his explosive 58-yard catch and run against Maryland last week.
But Hamler is not as flattered as you would expect him to be. “To be honest, I don’t really like how people say, ‘That’s a Saquon spectacular-type run,” Hamler said after practice on Wednesday when discussing the play of the year so far. “That’s a me-type run; I don’t really like hearing that.”
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Now, don’t get it confused — Hamler is still a fan of Barkley and gives the former rusher his props. As he said that “it’s a blessing” because Saquon is “one of the greatest players to come out of this school,” Hamler still wants to make it clear he’s paving his own lane.
Barkley is perfectly fine with that thought process as well, as he keeps in touch with current players like Hamler. And even when Barkley was out of the picture for the first time last season, he told his replacement, Miles Sanders, to just be himself — and not try to be like him. The players understand the thought process. Now, they wish others would do the same.