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start." It was still generating plenty of buzz the following day when Penn State invited reporters to watch a separate weightlifting session. During the latter session, Nittany Lion strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt explained that the 390- pound clean was just one moment in Barkely's impressive off-season. Bench- ing 390 pounds, squatting 500 pounds for seven reps, and clocking a 4.38-sec- ond 40-yard dash (hand-timed), the running back immediately jumped out to Galt as a player who has excelled this winter. "One guy who you guys saw who ran well, who lifted well, who really kind of fulfilled what we knew he was capable of was Saquon Barkley. Huge day," Galt said. "So this kid is for real. He's a tremendous athlete. But even better than that, he's a great leader, a great worker, he really epitomizes what we're all about. So he really did a nice job coming on." Barkley, of course, was the breakout star of Penn State's 2015 football sea- son, finishing with 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns despite barely play- ing in the opener and missing two games later in the season with an ankle sprain. Pressed to elaborate on his importance to the program as he progresses from his first year into his second, Galt offered some very high praise, comparing his at- titude to that of veteran NFL tight end Vernon Davis. Davis was a two-time Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers and is now a Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos, and Galt worked with him during his collegiate career at Maryland. The longtime strength and conditioning coach sees echoes of Davis's approach when he watches Barkley work out. "Saquon, he's a once-every-10-years guy," Galt said. "He's special. He's spe- cial in a lot of different areas. We don't get kids like that very often. The nice thing about him, just like Vernon, is that FOOTBALL Galt eusive after 'best winter we've ever had' Penn State strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt was very pleased. His Nittany Lions had just completed a vigorous afternoon of testing in the pro agility drill in Holuba Hall, followed by maxing out on the squat in the Lasch Building weight room immediately af- ter. The March 2 workouts wrapped up eight weeks of intense training – eight highly productive weeks, in Galt's esti- mation. "Guys worked their butts off. [It was] the best winter we've ever had," he said. "They've done a great job. The youth is growing up and the old guys have done a great job of leadership." The testing period comprised three days of workouts: Monday, Feb. 29 (40- yard dash, broad jump, triple-broad, bench press), Tuesday, March 1 (vertical jump, power clean) and Wednesday, March 2 (pro agility, max squat). Galt said the Lions only run the 40 once a year, making the Feb. 29 test "a huge day for our guys. They do a lot of speed improvement. That gives them a chance to profile how much they've im- proved." The squat max, he said, is "kind of the ultimate deal for us. It's pretty tough to do anything after squat max, so we're actually giving them a day off tomor- row. All we're doing is meeting, and then Friday we get back in the morn- ing." The university's spring break began Saturday, March 6, with students head- ing home for a week before resuming classes on March 14. Spring practice is set to begin March 18. Asked to spotlight a few of the stand- outs during the team's winter workout sessions, Galt pointed to the following players: SAQUON BARKLEY RESULTS Clean: 390 pounds; bench: 390; squat: seven reps at 500 pounds; 40: 4.38 seconds COMMENT "He cleaned 390, I think he tied Anthony Zettel for the greatest in the history of our program. He just squatted 500 for seven. He did a really nice job. Benched 390. Ran a 4.38. So this kid is for real. He's a tremendous athlete. But even better than that, he's a great leader, a great worker, he really epitomizes what we're all about. So he really did a nice job coming on." STERLING JENKINS RESULTS Squat: eight reps at 505 pounds; bench: 400 pounds COMMENT "Sterling Jenkins I think has really come on well. He's up to 335 now, he squatted 505 for eight today, so he's an over-500-pound squatter. He benched 400 pounds. So you've got a big guy who is developing really quickly physically, and we really hope he can step right in there." PARIS PALMER RESULTS Squat: seven reps at 455 pounds; bench: 385 pounds; 40: 5.20 seconds COMMENT "We got him last January, so he's been here for 14 months and I can't even tell you the difference in physical changes that Paris Palmer has gone through. Just tremendous change. When he first got here, he was just bare- ly benching 185. He got 385 on Monday. We all saw him squat 455 for seven to- day. So for a big, tall, lanky guy, he really does well, and he ran a 5.20 in the 40. So he's a guy who we really think has im- proved a lot."

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