Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 0 1 7 S E A S O N P R E V I E W SAQUON BARKLEY T race McSorley is running late. An intern for Merrill Lynch's wealth management team in State College this summer, the Nittany Lion quarterback is pursuing a business degree, and that goal takes precedence over preseason Penn State football mag- azine interviews. McSorley doesn't hesitate to acknowledge his aver- sion to any and all media attention, so a few additional minutes at the office on this particular day are likely welcome. By the time he arrives at the Lasch Building, entering the players' lounge through a side door, he could be mistaken for any undergrad slogging through the same summer routine. He's wearing a spread- collar dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, gray slacks and plain black oxfords, a uniform familiar to much of the world's cubicle-dwelling workforce but a departure from McSorley's attire on autumn Satur- days. His arrival interrupts a meandering conversation between a 33- year-old sportswriter and junior running back Saquon Barkley. While waiting for the joint interview to begin, the Heisman Trophy hopeful had been making small talk on a range of topics, from his morning workout (two or three hours of lower body work before noon) to his eating habits, all while inhaling a bowl of cereal, a bagel and a cup of yogurt. About those eating habits: Barkley, who now packs 230 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame, pays closer attention to food quality immedi- ately before the season and during it. He's tried to eliminate fast food, but notes, "I'm a teenager, so I eat what I want." His weakness is a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant intimately familiar to Penn State's starving undergrad population. Barkley usually orders the shrimp fried rice because, in an acknowledged feat of mental gymnastics, seafood seems vaguely healthy. But sometimes he doesn't bother with the ra- tionalizations and just orders the fried chicken wings. Consider that a pro tip from a seasoned vet. "A lot of people wouldn't know it," he says, "but chicken wings from Chinese places are pretty good." Gregarious and earnest, Barkley seems to like or love just about everything in his orbit these days. A few months re- moved from a remarkable sophomore season in which he compiled 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns on 272 carries, he has inspired heightened anticipation as he gets set for his junior cam- paign. A legitimate Heisman contender, he will see his name in- cluded on a multitude of preseason award watch lists and All-America teams. And although he's certain to avoid the conver- sation in its entirety, the chance to become one of the highest picks in the NFL Draft next April will be on his radar in a matter of months. |