NEWS & NOTES
James Franklin wasn't kidding. Asked fol-
lowing a recent spring practice session
about Saquon Barkley, who was about to
give the first group interview of his college
career, Franklin told reporters that what im-
pressed him most about the rising sopho-
more running back was his humility.
"For a guy who has gotten a lot of atten-
tion in a very, very short period of time, he's
handled it very well," Franklin said. "You
wouldn't even know, and that's not just me.
That's having my player meetings with all
the guys from the team and a lot of guys
commented on how he's handled it – how
he is on campus, how he is on Saturday
night, how he is just with his teammates in
the locker room and his approach on the
field. He's very humble, very hardworking,
very mature. He's doing ex-
tremely well academically."
Surrounded by a crush of me-
dia minutes later, Barkley didn't
disappoint. He may have set a
Penn State freshman rushing
record with 1,076 yards, earned
second-team All-Big-Ten hon-
ors and a host of freshman All-
Conference and All-America
nods along the way, but none of
F
O O T B A L L
Barkley's
rapid ascent
continues
this spring
SOPHOMORE
SURGE
Barkley
said he felt "amaz-
ing" after turning in
one of the team's
top performances
during winter
workouts. The
coaching staff is
looking for contin-
ued improvement
this fall. Photo by
Steve Manuel
