Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/590325
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L > > Quarterback Christian Hackenberg re- alized Barkley's capabilities "the first day he stepped on campus," he said, and for the coaches, Barkley's eagerness to learn was a significant factor in giving him "green light" status right away, instead of having him begin his collegiate career as a redshirt. Position coach Charles Huff lauds Barkley's "unbelievable ability," which is on display when he weaves and then plows through defenders on Saturdays. More impressive to Huff, however, is how Barkley prepares during the week. During an early-season practice Barkley ripped off a long run through the middle of the defense and then down the sideline. It was probably similar to some of the highlights that he's shown early this season – maybe his 54-yard long against Rutgers or his 22- yard screen, catch and dance vs. San Diego State. Everyone else at practice was impressed, clapping, whooping and hollering; Barkley wanted a do-over. Jogging back to the huddle, shaking his head, he looked over at Huff. "Coach," he said. "My shoulders weren't square the whole time, were they?" Huff recounted that story on a telecon- ference with local reporters recently in order to illustrate the type of work habits that Barkley has demonstrated so far in his career. "He's a very inquisitive young man," Huff added. "He has a knack for wanting to know everything. Whatever you tell him, he remembers." As far back as his father can recall, Barkley has al- ways taken a wide-eyed approach, sifting through a wealth of in- formation before taking it in and then ap- plying it. "He would ask every question possible," Alibay said. "I'm talking about things a little kid shouldn't say – God, girls, boys, race. He'd ask a lot of questions. He was amazing as a kid." Fast forward a decade, and his mother believes that his natural curiosity has sim- ply translated to football. "Whether it's sport or anything in life, if it's something they have a passion for, they're going to try to gain as much knowl- edge about it as they can, especially if it's something they love," Johnson said. "And he loves football. He's been [watching] ROOM TO RUN Barkley evades Rutgers defensive back Davon Jacobs during the Nit- tany Lions' Big Ten opener. The freshman running back averaged 9.3 yards per carry to help lift Penn State to a 28-3 victory. Photo by Steve Manuel