A sea of white enclosed Beaver Stadium as the Ohio State Buckeyes entered Happy Valley.  A huge underdog, Penn State was given no chance by analysts to even come close to a victory.  Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the Nittany Lions and the power of the whiteout.  With an electric field goal block and return to the house, students stormed the field in absolute jubilation after a come from behind victory.  People flooded the streets in celebration, unaware of the success that would ensue the rest of the year.  Penn State would win the rest of their remaining games and end with a Big Ten championship on the way to the Rose Bowl.  After the Jerry Sandusky scandal, almost everyone wrote this football team off and a return to national prominence was considered impossible.  Defying the odds, head football coach James Franklin changed the perception of Penn State football by importing great recruiting classes.  Among the athletes, coach Franklin found a diamond in the rough by the name of Saquon Barkley.  An absolute spark plug at tailback, Saquon quickly became the face of Penn State athletics during his breakout freshman year. Breaking the 1000 yard barrier as a freshman, Saquon followed up his opening campaign with more rushing yards and twice as many touchdowns this year.  His hurdling ability has placed multiple defenders on posters and his shifty running style provides unparalleled elusiveness in the open field.  Barkley bursted onto the scene right in front of eyes, and seemed to just magically appear as the savior of Penn State football.  Not highly recruited out of high school, Barkley knew he had something to prove, and headed to Penn State with a enormous chip on his shoulder.

Born in the Bronx, Saquon Barkley was no stranger to the spotlight.  Barkley grew up in a boxing family, as his great uncle was a three-time world champion boxer in the 1980s and 90’s.  His father was also a great boxer although his career was shortened by injury.  Saquon sparred in a few gyms as a child, but once his family moved to Pennsylvania in 2001 they soon realized his true talent.  Once they stepped down on Pennsylvania soil, Saquon decided to take up the game of football.  At the age of seven, Barkley scored thirty touchdowns in his first year in the local Pop Warner league, and backed it up with thirty-two touchdowns in the following season.  Leading up to high school, Saquon seemed to stand above the rest in athletic ability everywhere he went.  Similar to other great athletes, he starred in multiple sports and excelled at numerous positions.  While attending Whitehall High School in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, Saquon played basketball, ran track, and of course took his talents to the gridiron.  He was a letterman in all three sports, as he set a Whitehall record in the 100 meter dash as a senior with a time of 10.90.  Saquon competed in multiple track and field events including the 2015 Colonial League Track and Field Championships.  At these Championships, Saquon showed a side of himself that often goes unseen from the naked eye.  After winning his event, he decided to give his gold medal away to another athlete.  That athlete happened to be a female hurdler by the name of Rachel Panek, who had lost her race due to a timing mishap that forced her to re-run.  She had originally won the race, but finished last in the re-run after clipping a hurdle.  Barkley stated after the confrontation, “It felt really good…to do a good deed and put a smile on her face.”  Saquon Barkley’s character can never be questioned, as he continually serves as a role model for upcoming athletes and others.  Saquon is known as being soft-spoken and overly humble, qualities rarely found in star football players who seem to make your jaw drop on every play from scrimmage.

After playing sparingly his sophomore season at Whitehall on the varsity squad, Saquon exploded his junior year at the running back position.  Breaking the 1500 yard barrier and crossing the goal line twenty-seven times, Saquon led Whitehall to a league title and earned himself an All-Lehigh Valley Conference selection.  His senior campaign was more of the same as Whitehall won the league title once again as Saquon rushed for even more yards and scored thirty-one total touchdowns.  Named Mr. Pennsylvania, he set a school record in rushing yards as he was considered one of the top high school players in the state. Saquon was a human highlight reel during his senior year as he showcased world-class speed and eluded tacklers with incredible footwork.

http://www.hudl.com/video/3/1440965/5721bc9e9a91677e74881f74

Other than rushing ability, Saquon also exhibited some of his other skills as he threw for two passing touchdowns, and corralled three interceptions while playing defense his senior season.  As a running back, Saquon was the 24th ranked running back on ESPN’s recruiting list, and barely made it into the ESPN 300 for the nation’s top overall football recruits.  Not highly recruited, Barkley was set on attending Rutgers University as he was a childhood fan.  Saquon had originally committed to Rutgers, but swifty decommitted after falling in love with Penn State.  In a recent interview, Barkley contributes his decision to Coach James Franklin’s message and the overall atmosphere of Beaver Stadium to his college choice.  In case he needed more motivation, a Rutgers beat writer sent out this tweet shortly after Saquon’s decommitment:   

In the future Mr. Dunleavy would regret that remark on social media, but in the meantime Barkley was still an unknown player waiting to make a name for himself.  In order to achieve greatness, Saquon knew he had to work harder than everyone else.  He credits his work ethic and level headedness to his high school football coach Brian Gilbert.  He also garnered his tough mentality from his former coach, as he was well prepared for the huge stage that is college football.  His preparedness showed almost immediately on the college football landscape as he rushed for over a hundred yards and a score in just his second game as a true freshman.  Barkley’s breakout performance would not be until the following week however, as he ironically went up against Rutgers in a primetime matchup at Beaver Stadium.  Barkley juked and hurdled his way to almost two hundred yards and two touchdowns, as the stripe-out crowd cheered for their new found star.  Although hindered by an injury, Saquon finished the rest of his freshman campaign with three more games of over a hundred rushing yards.  Barkley earned Big Ten Freshman of the year honors and was selected to the freshman All-American team.  Although Christian Hackenberg was still the most notable name related to Penn State, Barkley was erupting in popularity and would soon find himself as one of the most recognizable players in the country.

At the start of the 2016 season, nothing was expected from the Nittany Lions.  A bowl game was surely in their future and the possibility of winning a good amount of games.  New quarterback Trace Mcsorley was also a question mark, taking over for the highly regarded Christian Hackenberg.  One facet was set in stone however and that was the workhorse back that was ready to wreak havoc on every defense in the nation.  Heading into the sixth game of the season with a matchup against Maryland, Saquon was having a roller coaster type year.  In a blink of an eye Barkley was in the heisman race with a two hundred yard performance against the Terrapins, supplanting his spot as one of the best running backs in college football.  As the old saying goes the rest was history, as Penn State went on to beat Ohio State and win their remaining contests.  He was the first back in Penn State history since the great Larry Johnson to post back to back games with two hundred all purpose yards as he played himself into Penn State royalty.  Earning Big Ten player of the year honors while smelling the roses, Saquon and the rest of the squad gave Penn State a return to national notoriety.  The culture of Penn State was always heavily reliant on football, and the Sandusky scandal seemed to shatter the enjoyment that came out of Saturdays in Happy Valley.  This team and the player we revolve around have brought happiness back to this town, and have had a lasting impact on the entire community.

Penn State’s return to the top of the rankings has rejuvenated State College, as the Nittany Lions are back to being considered one of the best teams in the country. Let’s not overlook the elephant in the room, just four years ago this program was stripped of seemingly everything that mattered. Joe Paterno was practically shunned by so many members of the Penn State community, and was stripped of his statue and wins. Saquon was a stud running back at a good Rutgers program that had no sanctions and no scandalous air surrounding it. Couple that with his already strong ties to Rutgers, and you have to take a step back and admire him for the courage he showed in deciding to come here. There was a running back already ahead of him on the depth chart by the name of Akeel Lynch, and he was now a part of a school that was searching to find itself as a program again. For us, the feeling that comes with these reasonings for pressure cannot be seen as tangible. For Saquon, it was in every way. When he stepped in, this was an ailing program and coach Franklin’s job was not all too secure. By the end of his sophomore year, he will be competing for a Rose Bowl championship as one of the best running backs in the country. As for coach Franklin’s job, the only news that you can find on him now is talks of a contract extension. Despite the adversity that Barkley faced coming into this program, he found a way to use it as fuel and break through the glass ceiling that hovered over this school since the scandal in 2012.

There’s one thing that was alluded to earlier that was not expanded upon that I think makes Barkley one of the most respectable athletes in college football. His humble attitude, coupled with his unbreakable work ethic, are what have made him into the powerhouse back that he is today. To offer a comparison, consider the difference between the role effective of both Christian Hackenberg and Saquon Barkley. Christian Hackenberg is arguably the most hyped up player that has come through Penn State in recent memory, and as far as talent is concerned, deservedly so. But there’s a reason Penn State’s greatest achievement during his stint as our signal caller was getting to the TaxSlayer Bowl. It starts with attitude. Throughout his time here, Hackenberg seemed to make the headlines for his snobby persona and public criticism of James Franklin. As a fan, it was hard to look past the fact that it was probably harming the atmosphere of the team in some ways. All of that talent, and unfortunately a lot of the time headlines were not even because of his play. This begs the question, how did Penn State make it to the Rose Bowl led at quarterback by 3-star recruit sophomore Trace McSorley? Answer, chemistry. Last year, the leader of the offense was someone who was far more self centered. This year, Saquon Barkley was the heralded leader coming into the season, and his personality or his ability did not waver. He was simply a star who knew that he was not bigger than this program, and that there wasn’t a limit that could be placed on this football team if everyone could just manage to stay on the same page. He came to this school during a time in which few could fathom what this school has accomplished in his short two years here. He was instrumental in bringing it back to relevance, and  has become an icon in the eyes of students throughout campus.