TRANSACTIONS:
- Originally a first-round (2nd pick overall) draft choice by the Giants in 2018.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Barkley played in 38 games with 32 starts at Penn State…Finished his collegiate career with 671 rushing attempts for 3,843 yards (5.7-yard avg.) and 43 touchdowns…Averaged 101.1 yards per game on the ground…Also caught 102 passes for 1,195 yards (11.7-yard avg.) with 8 scores on 102 receptions (11.72 ypc)…Returned 18 kickoffs for a 27.8-yard average and 2 touchdowns…Amassed 5,538 total yards on 791 touches for averages of 7.0 yards per play and 145.7 yards per game.
- Since the college modern era commenced in 1956, Barkley's 3,843 yards rushing rank 165th on the NCAA’s all-time list…He is 74th with 5,038 scrimmage yards, and his 53 total touchdowns tied Louisiana State's Kevin Faulk (1995-98), Notre Dame's Allen Pinkett (1983-85), Nevada's Vai Taua (2007-10) and Charles White of Southern California (1976-79) for 46th on that list.
- Barkley finished his career as Penn State's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (43) and total touchdowns (53), surpassing Lydell Mitchell's marks of 38 rushing and 41 total touchdowns, respectively, from 1969-71…Barkley capped his career as the school’s career all-purpose yards leader (5,538), surpassing Larry Johnson (5,045; 1999-2002)… Ranked No. 22 at the conclusion of his career on Penn State career receiving yards list (1,195).
- Finished his career No. 2 on Penn State's career scoring list (318 points), which were the most in Penn State history by a non‐kicker, besting Mitchell's 246 points…Set the school record with a touchdown scored in 15-straight games, a streak that began at Purdue (10/29/16) and ended at Michigan State (11/4/17)…Had 13 multi‐rushing touchdown games in his career (2 in 2015, 4 in 2016, 7 in 2017), and 17 multi‐touchdown games (2 in 2015, 6 in 2016, 9 in 2017)..Tallied 4 career games with 3‐or‐more touchdowns (2 in 2016, 2 in 2017)...
- Recorded 9 career games with 200-plus all-purpose yards (4 in 2016, 5 in 2017) and is 1 of just 2 Nittany Lions to reach the 5,000 all-purpose yard mark…He was the 9th player in school history to eclipse the 4,000 all-purpose yard mark.
- Barkley became the only player in Penn State history and just the 4th in the Big Ten to gain 3,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a career…Was the 7th player in Penn State history to reach 3,000 career rushing yards, finishing 2nd on Penn State's career rushing yards list (3,843), trailing only Evan Royster (3,932; 2007-10)…Joined Royster as the only 2 rushers in Penn State history with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
- Barkley concluded his career tied for 5th with 15 career 100-yard games (5 in each of his 3 seasons, including three 200-yard efforts (2 in 2016, 1 in 2017) which was 2nd in program history…Concluded his career as the school’s record-holder in receiving yards by a running back (1,195), passing Tony Hunt's mark of 799 yards (2003-06), and doing so with 26 fewer receptions.
- Barkley was the 30th player and first running back in PSU history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark, and the 16th Penn Stater and first running back in program history to eclipse the 100-catch mark, ranking 16th in career receptions (102), joining teammates Mike Gesicki (129; 2014-17) and DaeSean Hamilton (209; 2014-17) and current assistant coach Terry Smith (108; 1989-91).
- In Penn State Bowl history, Barkley ranks 2nd in rushing yards (400) and is tied for 2nd in bowl receptions (17)…His 92-yard rushing score in the 2017 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl broke the Penn State and Fiesta Bowl record for longest rush. The 92-yard run was also the longest play from scrimmage in Fiesta Bowl history, passing an 85-yard pass from Ohio State's Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes vs. Notre Dame in 2006.
- Joined teammates Mike Gesicki and DaeSean Hamilton as the second RB/WR/TE trio to eclipse 1,000 career receiving yards in Big Ten history (Purdue, 1982‐85: WR Steve Griffin, 2,234 yards; RB Rodney Carter, 1,814 yards; TE Marty Scott, 1,247 yards).
2017:
- In his junior season, Barkley played in all 13 games with 12 starts...Selected team captain prior to the season... Named Penn State's Most Valuable Player and earned the Captain's Award at the team's annual awards banquet.
- Finished with 217 rushing attempts for 1,271 yards (5.9-yard avg.), and career-high-tying 18 touchdowns…Also caught 54 passes, more than his first 2 seasons combined (48), for 632 yards (11.7-yard avg.) and 3 touchdowns…Had a career-high 1,903 yards from scrimmage on 271 touchdowns (146.4 a game, 7.0 per touch)…Added 15 kickoff returns for 426 yards (28.4-yard avg.) and 2 touchdowns…Scored a career-high 23 touchdowns (1 more than his 2016 total).
- Led the Big Ten in rushing for the 2nd consecutive season…Was the 24th FBS player to produce 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a season since 2000...Scored a touchdown in 15‐straight games from Oct. 29, 2016‐Oct. 28, 2017, which set the Penn State school record, passing Curtis Enis' 14‐game streak from 1996‐97.
- Set the Penn State single-game all‐purpose yards mark with 358 at Iowa (9/23, including 211 yards rushing, 94 yards receiving, and 53 yards on kickoff return, topping Curt Warner's previous mark of 341 vs. Syracuse in 1981...The 358 yards 10th all‐time in the Big Ten record books, and was the fifth 300‐yard all‐purpose game in Penn State history, including the second by Barkley...Produced the fourth 300‐plus all‐purpose yard game in Penn State history with 306 yards against USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl (1/2/17) with 194 rushing, 55 receiving, and 57 kick return yards...His 12 receptions vs. Iowa were the most in school history by a running back, and were the most by a Big Ten running back Indiana’s Stephen Houston had 12 at Purdue (11/24/12).
- Barkley’s 92‐yard touchdown run vs. Washington in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (12/30/17) was tied for the longest rush in program history, equaling the mark of Blair Thomas (1986; Syracuse ‐ non‐touchdown) and Bill Belton (2014; at Indiana).
- Set Penn State’s single-game all‐purpose yards mark with 358 (211 rush, 94, receiving, 53 KR), at Iowa (9/23), a total that sits No. 10 all‐time in the Big Ten.
- Capped his career as 1 of 2 Penn Staters with multiple 100‐point seasons, scoring 132 in 2016 and 138 in 2017, joining Kevin Kelly (2005‐08)...His 138 points in 2017 are tied for No. 3 on the single-season scoring list...Tied the program single-season record with 2 kickoff return touchdowns, equaling the marks of Chuck Peters (1940), Curt Warner (1980) and Derrick Williams (2008)...Ranked No. 2 at season's end on the single-season all‐purpose yards list with 2,329 yards, and became just the 2nd player in program history to eclipse the 2,000 all‐purpose yard mark (Larry Johnson, 2,655 in 2002) in a season.
- Received the Paul Hornung Award as college football's most versatile player...Finished No. 4 in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish by a Penn State player since Larry Johnson finished 3rd in 2002...Selected as a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Lombardi Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award...Became the 100th first‐team All‐American in Penn State history...Was Penn State's 42nd consensus All‐American and first Nittany Lion offensive player since Johnson in 2002...The 14th unanimous consensus All‐American in program history, and first since Carl Nassib in 2015...Earned first‐team All‐America laurels at running back from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Walter Camp...Selected first‐team All‐America by the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and Sporting News.
- Named the Big Ten's Graham‐George Offensive Player of the Year for the 2nd‐straight season...Was the first Big Ten running back and 3rd Big Ten player to earn multiple Player of the Year awards in the conference's history, joining Miller (2012-13), and Purdue’s Drew Brees (1998 & 2000)...Earned Ameche‐Dayne Running Back of the Year for the second‐straight season...Claimed the Rodgers‐Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year, becoming the first Penn Stater to claim the award, which was established in 2015...Was the second player in conference history to win 3 major B1G awards, joining Michigan's Jabrill Peppers (Defensive POTY, Linebacker and Return Specialist of the Year; 2016)...Garnered first‐team All‐Big Ten at both running back and return specialist from both the coaches and media panels.
- Earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, along with first‐team all‐conference at running back and all‐purpose player from the AP.
- Ranked 2nd in the FBS and led the Big Ten and Power 5 in all‐purpose yards per game (179.15)...Was tied for 4th nationally and led the Big Ten with 23 touchdowns (23)...Finished 5th nationally and led the Big Ten with 2 kickoff return touchdowns...Ranked 5th nationally and led the Big Ten with 138 points…Finished 9th in the FBS and led the Big Ten with 18 rushing touchdowns (18)...Ranked 5th in the Big Ten in yards per carry (5.9), and 4th in rushing yards per game (97.8).
- Named Big Ten Co‐Offensive Player of the Week (Barrett, OSU) after rushing for 174 yards and totaling 246 all‐purpose yards vs. Akron (9/2)...Barkley’s 80-yard run was the 2nd‐longest rush of his career…Posted 183 all‐purpose yards and 2 touchdowns – on an 8-yard run and a 46-yard reception - vs. Pittsburgh (9/9)…Led the team with 226 all‐purpose yards vs. Georgia State (9/16). Included in that total were 4 receptions for a career‐high 142 yards and 1 touchdown...His 142 receiving yards were the most by a Penn State running back since Len Krouse had 155 vs. Syracuse in 1940.
- Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after breaking the school record with 358 all‐purpose yards with vs. Iowa (9/23)...Posted his 3rd career 200‐yard rushing game with a career‐best 211 yards rushing...Caught a career‐high 12 passes for 94 yards… Selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after posting 205 all‐purpose yards, including a 98‐yard kickoff return for the touchdown to open the game, vs. Indiana (9/30)... Attempted and completed his first career pass, a 16‐yard touchdown pass to DaeSean Hamilton in the 4th quarter.
- Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after piling up 176 all‐purpose yards and registering his 3rd career 3‐touchdown game with 2 rushing scores and 1 receiving vs. Michigan (10/21)...Rushed for 108 yards on 15 carries...Had touchdown runs of 69 and 15 yards in the first quarter...Again named Big Ten Player of the Week after compiling 224 all‐purpose yards vs. Nebraska (11/18)…Completed his second career pass, a 20‐yard toss to Mike Gesicki in the first quarter, at Michigan State (11/4).
2016:
- As a sophomore, started all 14 games…Finished with career-high totals of 272 carries, 1,496 yards, and 18 touchdowns (a figure he matched in 2017)…Also caught 28 passes for 402 yards and a career-best 4 touchdowns, and score 132 points…Had 1,927 all-purpose yards…Barkley’s 1,496 rushing yards were the 5th-highest total in Penn State history…Broke the school record for a sophomore held by Evan Royster (1,236 yards in 2008) with 1,496 yards in 2016...Barkley and Tyler Davis (128) became the first set of teammates to score 100 points in the same season in Penn State history...Broke the sophomore rushing touchdowns record with his 14th score of 2016 at Rutgers (11/19) in the third quarter and finished with 18 rushing scores...His 22 total touchdowns and 18 rushing scores are each 5th on the school’s single-season list…The 22 total touchdowns were the most since Larry Johnson scored 23 in 2002...Led the Big Ten in both total and rushing touchdowns…Ranked 5th nationally in the former and 9th in the latter…Barkley’s 1,927 total yards ranked No. 3 on Penn State's single‐season list, and was the highest total since Johnson's school‐record 2,655 yards in 2002…Led the Big Ten and was 12th nationally with 9.4 points per game…Was No. 1 in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with 140.9 in all‐purpose yards a game…Barkley’s 1,496 rushing yards were 2nd in the Big Ten and 14th in the FBS .
- Name 2nd‐team All‐American by The Sporting News and 3rd team by the AP…Shared the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s best player with J.T. Barrett of Ohio State...Named Big Ten Running Back of the Year...Was the 8th sophomore and 1 of 17 running backs to win Offensive Player of the Year in Big Ten history…Selected All‐Big Ten first team by the conference coaches, and a unanimous choice by the media…Was the first Penn State running back to earn All‐Big Ten first team honors since Evan Royster in 2009...Selected one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award and among 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award.
2015:
- As a true freshman, Barkley played in 11 games with 6 starts, missing 2 games due to injury…Had 182 rushing attempts and broke Penn State's freshman (true or redshirt) single-season record with 1,076 rushing yards, surpassing D.J. Dozier's mark of 1,002 set in 1983...Tied 2 of Dozier’s record with 7 rushing touchdowns and five 100-yard games…Caught 20 passes for 161 yards and 1 touchdown…Broke the school freshman (true or redshirt) single-season mark for all‐purpose yards with 1,237, surpassing the mark set by Dozier (1,191; 1983).
- Named 2nd‐team All‐Big Ten by both the coaches and media...Named to Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News and USA Today’s Freshman All‐America team...Selected BTN.com Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned BTN.com All‐Freshman Team laurels...Selected 2nd‐team All‐Big Ten by the AP.
- Had 1 carry for 1 yard in his collegiate debut at Temple (9/5)…The following week, rushed for 115 yards on 12 carries and scored his first touchdown on a 9-yard run vs. Buffalo (9/12).
HIGH SCHOOL:
- Three-year letterman and team captain his senior year at Whitehall (Pa.) High School...First-team all-state (AAAA) by Pennsylvania Football News...Selected as 2014 Mr. Pennsylvania Football for Class AAA/AAAA...As a senior in 2014, rushed for 1,856 yards, 8.6 yards per carry and recorded 31 total touchdown...Had 3 interceptions and 5 tackles for loss as a senior...Two-time All-Lehigh Valley Conference selection...Helped lead Whitehall to league titles as a sophomore and junior...Rushed for 1,506 yards and recorded 27 touchdowns as a junior...Tallied 284 rushing yards and 5 total scores as a sophomore...Ranked as the ninth-best running back in the nation and the top prospect in Pennsylvania by 247Sports...Rated by Scout among the top five prospects in the state...Lettered in basketball and track...Won the gold medal in the eastern Pennsylvania Conference boys 100 meters.
OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY:
- Played in the Giants Foundation Golf Invitational at Westchester Country Club with foundation supporters, team sponsors/clients and teammates…Answered questions from the fans about the upcoming season at the 2018 Giants Town Hall event at the Beacon Theatre, which was held exclusively for season ticket holders and sponsors.
- Full name is Saquon Barkley...Has an infant daughter, Jada Clare Barkley… Majoring in journalism…Son of Alibay Barkley and Tonya Johnson...Has 2 brothers, Rashard Johnson and Ali Barkley, and 2 sisters, Shaquona and Aliyah Barkley...Father was an amateur boxer...Brother, Rashard, played football and wrestled...Great uncle is former WBC middleweight champion Iran Barkley...Was born in The Bronx.
