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T H E M O N T H I N . . . We've seen teams take running backs with the fourth overall pick in each of the past two seasons. The Cowboys took Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 pick in 2016, and the Jaguars snagged Leonard Fournette at No. 4 last year. Elliott and Fournette both went on to have spectacular rookie seasons. Elliott led the league in rushing in 2016. Fournette finished his first season eighth in the league with 1,090 yards and nine touchdowns. Barkley's combine performance blew both of them out of the water. Elliott ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and had a 31" vertical. Fournette had a 4.51 40 and a 28.5" vertical. Mocking the Draft's Dan Kadar has Barkley going to the Gi- ants at No. 2 in his most recent mock draft. Barkley's combine performance cou- pled with what he did in college would justify it. JEANNA THOMAS SBNATION.COM The No. 1 prospect on a number of boards might make it impossible for the Cleve- land Browns and others to pass on his potential a;er a scintillating performance in Indy. Tipping the scales at a robust 233 pounds, Barkley blazed the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds. This crazy display of speed for that size came a;er the Penn State product popped out 29 reps on the bench press and posted a 41-inch vertical leap. Not to mention, Barkley was quite impressive during on-:eld drills, displaying precise route-running ability and natural hands. He looked like a wide receiver out there in a running back's body. Given his character, leadership skills and produc- tion, it is quite possible Barkley leaves Indianapolis as the consensus No. 1 player in the 2018 dra; class. BUCKY BROOKS NFL.COM In a way, Barkley has become the thing he has tried to avoid becoming labeled, the face of Penn State football. It might be a while before that changes. And as he heaped praise on his coaches for helping him get there, preparing him for that moment, James Franklin got something that has eluded him at the NFL level since taking the Penn State job. Credit. BEN JONES STATECOLLEGE.COM We all bought into it. We all trusted in Coach Franklin and trusted his process. He's a great coach and he's a big reason Penn State is where it's at today, back-to- back 11-win seasons, back-to-back top-10 finishes, back-to-back New Year's Six bowls, Big Ten championships, big-time wins. I think our stadium averaged 108,000 a game when they say it only holds 107,000. ... It's been an incredible time at Penn State. MIKE GESICKI at the NFL Combine I'm very confident in myself. Whether the ball is on the 99-yard line or the 1- yard line, I can find a way to get into the end zone. I can do it all. I can go over the top of you, I can beat you with speed, I can beat you with some wiggle, I can run through you. I try to improve every day. SAQUON BARKLEY at the NFL Combine I knew I didn't want this to be my last game tonight. And I told my teammates, you know, I'll give it everything I've got to get this win. I gave it everything I had out there. I le; it all out there on the court. And I was :lled with emotion because I did- n't want to lose. I didn't want to lose, our whole team felt the same way. It was just a tough night for us. SHEP GARNER following PSU's loss to Purdue in the Big Ten semifinals O P I N I O N S Q U O T E S CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE STRONG A school-record 26 teams delivered a combined 3.0 grade-point average dur- ing the fall semester, accounting for 84 percent of the Nittany Lions' 31 varsity programs. And Penn State set another school record, as 520 student-athletes posted at least a 3.0 GPA during the fall, including 253 who earned Dean's List honors with at least a 3.5 GPA (mini- mum 12 credits). The previous high marks were 516 with a 3.0 GPA and 241 on the Dean's List. LUBRANO NOT RUNNING Anthony Lu- brano has decided not to seek re-elec- tion to the board of trustees. Lubrano, whose support for Joe Paterno in the wake of the Sandusky scandal was cen- tral to his candidacy in 2012 to become one of three alumni-elected trustees, announced in late February that he would not run for a third term. "Six years of fighting is a bit tiresome," Lubrano told PennLive.com. "So here's my opportunity to step aside for others who may have a different approach but the same passions." Fellow alumni trustee Ryan McCombie has also declined to run for re-election, leaving open two of the three alumni- elected seats on the 36-member board. There are four candidates on the ballot for the alumni-elected seats. One of the candidates is former Penn State line- backer Brandon Short, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business who now re- sides in London. Also on the ballot are attorneys Alvin F. de Levie of Marlton, N.J., and Robert F. Tribeck of Enola, Pa., and dentist Laurie Anne Stanell of Holi- cong, Pa. Lubrano and McCombie will conclude their terms on June 30. PATERNO MOVIE COMING IN APRIL HBO's movie about the Sandusky scan- dal, "Paterno," has an airdate. The movie, which stars Al Pacino as Joe Pa- terno, Kathy Baker as Sue Paterno and Jim Johnson as Jerry Sandusky, will pre- miere on April 7. The movie was directed by Barry Levinson. ■ N O T E W O R T H Y

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