BREAKING: Saquon Barkley Shocks College Football World with Unprecedented $78 Million Gift to Penn State, Pledging to Revolutionize Nittany Lions Program, Elevate Facilities, Attract Top Talent, and Cement His Legacy as the Ultimate Penn State Football Icon Forever…… Full Details 👇⬇️
BREAKING: Saquon Barkley Shocks College Football World with Unprecedented $78 Million Gift to Penn State, Pledging to Revolutionize Nittany Lions Program, Elevate Facilities, Attract Top Talent, and Cement His Legacy as the Ultimate Penn State Football Icon Forever…… Full Details 👇⬇️
Penn State runningback Saquon Barkley (26) takes the microphone during…
Jeremy Drey
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Penn State runningback Saquon Barkley (26) takes the microphone during Penn State football media day at Beaver Stadium, State College. Photo by Jeremy Drey 8/5/2017
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By RICH SCARCELLA | rscarcella@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle
UPDATED: August 19, 2021 at 3:44 AM EDT
Long before he darted and dashed to college football stardom, Saquon Barkley couldn’t run without stopping.
As a young child in the Bronx, Barkley suffered from asthma and was hospitalized several times. His mother, Tonya, carried an inhaler wherever they went because the air pollution in New York clogged his lungs.
But she found a haven for her son that dramatically changed his life.
When her daughter, Shyquon, visited her aunt in the Lehigh Valley, Tonya drove to Pennsylvania with Saquon in tow to bring her back home.
“When I went there, I saw that he enjoyed the atmosphere and enjoyed being able to run around freely,” Tonya Barkley recalled. “The air out here was much different (than the air in New York). It inspired me to move here.
“Once we moved here, he didn’t need his inhaler. He could run and do everything.”
Tonya and her husband, Aliday, found a home for them and their five children in Pennsylvania. With clear lungs, Saquon began playing organized sports and quickly stood out, just like he did later at Whitehall High School and just like he’s done at Penn State.
After two marvelous seasons as a running back for the Nittany Lions, Barkley wants to make an even larger mark on the program in what very well could be his final collegiate season.
He wants to join former Penn State running backs Larry Johnson, Ki-Jana Carter, Blair Thomas, Curt Warner and John Cappelletti as a first-team All-American.
“I would like to leave this place as one of the best, if not the best, running backs and one of the best players to ever play here,” Barkley said.
He’s already helped Penn State regain national prominence after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. As the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year last season, he helped the Lions surprise everyone by winning the conference championship and landing in the Rose Bowl.
He needs 1,361 yards to pass Evan Royster and become Penn State’s all-time leading rusher. With nine returning starters on offense, that’s a distinct possibility. He enters this season widely regarded as the top running back in the country.
“I don’t think Saquon realizes that he’s – I’m not comparing them – the Bo Jackson of right now,” Penn State running backs coach Charles Huff said. “Bo Jackson was better than anyone else. He could do some amazing things. I don’t know if Saquon realizes he’s in that realm.
“There’s that kind of separation between his ability and that of the average running back.”
As strange as it may sound, Barkley considered himself an average player in his early teens at Whitehall and lacked confidence on and off the field. He was a reserve until senior James Wah Jr. suffered an injury late in his sophomore year.
Barkley wasted no time in making an impact.
“Saquon wasn’t on anybody’s radar,” Whitehall coach Brian Gilbert said. “I’ll never forget the first time he touched the ball. He took it right up the middle for 45 yards and a touchdown with the same running style he has now. I remember saying, ‘This kid’s going to be pretty special.’ “
Before he tasted success, Barkley had hoped he was good enough to play in college at Kutztown, where Wah enjoyed a successful career. The following offseason, he and his Whitehall teammates attended a 7-on-7 camp at Rutgers, where then-coach Kyle Flood stunned him by offering a scholarship.
His focus, his discipline and his confidence soared after that. He became a better student and a better player. Even though he had committed to Rutgers, he made an official visit to Penn State for the Nittany Lions’ triple-overtime win over Michigan in October 2013. He liked what he saw and felt and eventually flipped to Penn State.
“It was difficult,” his mother said. “He just felt Penn State was a better fit. You do what you feel is right. Sometimes you have to do what’s best for yourself.”
Barkley quickly became a favorite of Penn State fans by rushing for 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns two years ago as a freshman. Last year in Joe Moorhead’s first season as offensive coordinator, he ran for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns despite being the focus of every defense.
He capped his sophomore year in January with a sensational performance against USC in the Rose Bowl. He gained 306 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns, including a dazzling 79-yard touchdown run.
Yet less than 24 hours later, Barkley was restless on Penn State’s flight from California to Pennsylvania. He kept thinking about what he else he could have done to help the Lions avoid a 52-49 loss to the Trojans in one of the most thrilling Rose Bowls ever.
“He came up to me midway through the flight,” Huff said. “I was sleeping, and he tapped me on the shoulder. ‘What do I need to get better?’ What do I need to do this offseason?’”
That’s the essence of Barkley, who wasn’t satisfied after leading the Lions to an 11-3 record and a final No. 7 national ranking, their highest in 11 years.
