Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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1 1 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State will be represented in NFL training camps this summer by dozens of former players. Some will be going through drills at the pro level for the first time, others are veter- ans with ample experience. Then there is a trio of former Lions who will be looking to put a year of inju- ries and other struggles behind them as they seek bounce-back seasons in 2022. The list starts with Saquon Barkley. A former Penn State All-American and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, Barkley suffered an ACL injury and torn meniscus two years later and needed most of the 2021 season to trust his knee again. That setback, coupled with the difficulties of operating in a pe- destrian New York Giants offense, led to just 593 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns during his fourth year as a pro. However, heading into Year 5, the Pennsylvania native seems to be round- ing back into form. "I'm doing all the little things nec- essary to keep my body healthy. When you have that, when you can trust your body, your confidence just grows," Bar- kley said. "I would say the difference [from college to now] was that I was a way more confident player in college and early in my career than I was prior to last year. Now I'm starting to get that swag- ger back." Receiver KJ Hamler is hoping to find himself in a similar place. The former Nittany Lion wideout caught 3 touch- down passes as a rookie for the Denver Broncos in 2020 but spent all but three weeks on the sidelines last year, knocked out of action by a torn ACL and hip in- jury. On top of that, his grandmother Ethel Gooding passed away while Ham- ler was recovering from his surgery. "No one has taken care of me more than her besides my actual mother," he said. "I used to take her to get her hair done and get her food every time I came home. She was going through struggles. She had Parkinson's disease." Hamler said the memories of his grandmother helped propel him through the hardest days of his rehabilitation. "There were days where I didn't want to show up to therapy," he said, "but I always thought about her. She was do- ing therapy, so I had to go do it. I knew she wouldn't give up, so I didn't give up. "I was in a dark spot for a while go- ing through that. That was probably the toughest thing for me. Now that I'm back on the field, and now that I'm around all the guys and I'm able to do a little bit of what I was able to do before, it's been lifting my spirits. I won't say that I'm out of that dark place, but I'm getting better. I can tell you that." Hamler is now looking to pair up with new Broncos quarterback Russell Wil- son to re-emerge back onto the NFL scene in his third year as a pro. Finally, Tampa Bay Buccaneers re- ceiver Chris Godwin is also working his way back onto the field. The 26-year- old tore his ACL in Week 15 of the 2021 season but still led the NFC South team in receptions (98) and yards (1,103). A three-year, $60 million deal signed ear- lier this year will keep him in Tampa for the foreseeable future, but it continues to be unclear when he'll actually return to action. ■ Saquon Barkley returned to Penn State last year for the White Out game against Auburn. The New York Giants running back is trying to regain his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year form this fall after averaging only 3.7 yards per carry in 2021. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Penn State Trio Looking To Rebound In 2022 G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G. P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS

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