Penn State Football

“Saquon reached out to me and his plan was to come and spend spring ball with us as a coach,” states Penn State head coach James Franklin.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, June 2, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Coronavirus has destroyed the back-to-school dreams for Saquon Barkley. Beginning his third season with the New York Giants, Barkley had intentions to return to his alma mater, Penn State University, to act as a guest coach during spring practice. When the coronavirus pandemic hit and forced PSU, and every other college football team, to postpone their spring workouts, those hopes were derailed.

“Saquon reached out to me and his plan was to come and spend spring ball with us as a coach,” Penn State head coach James Franklin explained to the New York Post about the star running back’s plan. “He wanted to sit in all of the coach’s meetings to see how we came up with the game plan, how we watch film and all the things we discuss.”

In all three of his seasons at Penn State, Barkley rushed for more than 1,000 yards, amassing 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns in all. He has combined for 1,195 yards and eight touchdowns on 102 receptions and returned two kickoffs on TDs during his tenure at Penn State, helping the Nittany Lions secure the Big Ten title in 2016.

James Franklin continues, “He wanted to be able to learn football and view it through a different lens because he thought that would help his growth, and he’d be able to go back and have a bigger impact with the Giants. He could see how coaches assess things and why.”

From there, the Giants selected Barkley as No. 2 in the 2018 NFL draft overall. He has thus far lived up to his draft billing with 1,000-yard rushing seasons back-to-back. Barkley already has lots of individual accolades under his belt, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl, but over his two years with the franchise, the Giants have only a 9-23 record. Under current head coach Joe Judge, the Giants will look to switch it around in 2020. With Barkley and second-year QB Daniel Jones, first-round selection for the franchise in 2019, Giants fans expect the team can have two talented stars to grow on.

Aurora DeRose
Michael Levine Media
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