Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
for showing him that he had the potential to compete at an elite level. Barkley arrived at Penn State last sum- mer, but his transition wasn't exactly seamless. While his high school peers were enjoying their vacations, he was struggling to wake up at 6 a.m. to partic- ipate in the Nittany Lions' off-season workouts. In addition, he was getting used to his academic workload and already was homesick for the life he'd left behind. Looking back, Barkley calls the desires of his 18-year-old self "immature," those of a "little kid." He has learned to resist the urge to sleep until 2 p.m. and has em- braced his new schedule and the lifestyle that has gone along with it. He's excited about moving into Nittany Apartments on campus and out of the dorm room that defined his freshman year at Penn State. He's ready for grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning. "I grew up a lot," he said. "I'm only 19 now, but that whole freshman year of col- lege you just mature a lot. It might not seem a lot. I'm just starting my sophomore year, I'm only 19, but I just feel like that year was a big year. I learned a lot and I grew up a lot." Through it all, Barkley has strived to maintain the humble approach that has earned him so much praise to this point in his career. That's not always easy given the ubiquity of social media. Ignoring the tweets and retweets praising his freshman performance has proven to be an impos- sibility, but Barkley has downplayed their impact, vowing to not let the attention affect him. As a test, Barkley was recently asked bluntly whether or not he believes he's good. "At football? Do I think I'm good at football?" he asked. "That's tricky." It was supposed to be. As he noted, in order to be a great player, he has to believe in his abilities. But he's also determined to avoid becoming complacent, and so modesty ultimately won out. "I'm not go- ing to say I'm good," he explained, "but I would say I have confidence in myself." The Nittany Lions are expecting that confidence to carry him into a sophomore campaign that could be even better than his sterling debut. His 182 attempts last season generated an average of 5.9 yards per carry, fourth-best in the conference. They were very good numbers for a fresh- man, but they weren't the Big Ten's best numbers, and that discrepancy has kept him motivated. "This is the best time in my life. I really do appreciate everything that's going on," he said. "But you don't want to settle, ever, and that's something that our coaches really stress. Don't settle. I appreciate that people are talking about me, I ap- preciate that I'm doing well in football, but I always can do more and I always can go higher. You've got to appreciate it, but you always have got to strive and keep in the back of your head that this is not it. I have a lot more left in the tank and I can do way more." ■ SAQUON BARKLEY This is the best time in my life. I really do appreciate every- thing that's going on. But you don't want to settle, and that's something that our coaches really stress. Don't settle." " 2 0 1 6 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics