56 Facts About Saquon Barkley

Saquon Rasul Quevis Barkley is an American professional football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League.

Saquon Barkley played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he set several school records for his offensive production over three seasons before forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL.

In 2017, Barkley finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting with 304 total votes, third in Maxwell Award voting, and received multiple national and Big Ten Conference awards and recognition.

Saquon Barkley was selected second overall by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL draft, setting several NFL and team records en route to making the 2018 Pro Bowl and being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Saquon Barkley confronted injuries in the 2020 season, but was again named to the Pro Bowl in 2022.

Saquon Barkley was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Alibay Saquon Barkley, a boxer, and Tonya Johnson.

Saquon Barkley attended Whitehall High School in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, an elite division of large high schools in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos known nationally for producing a large number of NFL and other professional athletes.

At Whitehall High School, Saquon Barkley rushed for 3,646 yards with 63 touchdowns from his sophomore to senior year, including 1,856 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior.

Saquon Barkley was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to Penn State to play college football.

Saquon Barkley originally committed to Rutgers before changing to Penn State.

Later in the track and field season, Saquon Barkley set personal best marks of 46'2.5" in the shot put and 6'0" in the high jump.

Saquon Barkley was considered a top NCAA Division I football prospect and received multiple football scholarship offers, including from Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple.

Saquon Barkley chose to accept an offer from Penn State.

At Penn State, Saquon Barkley earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2015.

Saquon Barkley followed up that performance by rushing for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in his third game against Rutgers.

In week six against Maryland, Saquon Barkley had his first ever 200-yard rushing game at Penn State, finishing with 31 carries for 202 yards and one touchdown.

On November 1,2016, Saquon Barkley was named a semi-finalist for the Maxwell Award, granted to the all-around best collegiate football player of the year.

On December 3,2016, Saquon Barkley had 19 carries for 83 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and caught another touchdown on a wheel route.

At the close of his sophomore year at Penn State, Saquon Barkley had set Penn State records for most rushing yards in a season by a freshman and by a sophomore.

Saquon Barkley set a school record for most all-purpose yards in a single game, recording 211 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, 94 receiving yards, and 53 kick return yards.

Saquon Barkley was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

One month later against Ohio State, Saquon Barkley again returned the opening kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown, but was limited for the rest of the game recording 44 rushing yards on 21 carries, 36 of which came on a touchdown run in the second quarter.

On December 31,2017, following Penn State's Fiesta Bowl victory, Saquon Barkley declared his intention to forgo his senior year at Penn State and enter the 2018 NFL draft.

At the combine, Saquon Barkley had a performance that was widely praised, running a 4.4 second 40-yard dash and doing 29 bench presses of 225 pound weight, tying for the most reps by any running back at this combine.

Saquon Barkley was selected by the New York Giants with the second overall selection in the 2018 draft.

Saquon Barkley scored his first NFL touchdown, a 68-yard rush, in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Saquon Barkley tied the NFL single game record for most catches in a game by an NFL rookie.

In recognition of his rookie season accomplishments, Saquon Barkley was elected to the 2019 Pro Bowl, where he helped the NFC win the Skills Showdown.

Saquon Barkley received numerous awards during and after his rookie season, including Pepsi Rookie of the Year, FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year, AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and AP All-Rookie teams.

Saquon Barkley was chosen by his teammates as one of seven team captains for the 2019 season, an honor rarely bestowed on players after only one year on the team.

In Week 3 against the Buccaneers, Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain and was expected to miss four to eight weeks.

Saquon Barkley made his return from the injury in Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Saquon Barkley won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance in Week 16.

Saquon Barkley finished his sophomore season as the only running back in Giants' history to have 1,000 rushing yards in their first two seasons.

Saquon Barkley was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

Saquon Barkley immediately grabbed the back of his right knee and removed his helmet.

Saquon Barkley was placed on injured reserve on September 22,2020.

In Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, Saquon Barkley's foot landed on Jourdan Lewis and his ankle rolled.

On November 3,2021, the Giants announced that Saquon Barkley was being placed in the NFL's COVID-19 protocol.

Saquon Barkley converted the go-ahead two point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

Saquon Barkley finished fourth in the NFL and first in the NFC in rushing yards.

Saquon Barkley was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.

Saquon Barkley finished the 2023 season with 247 carries for 962 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go with 41 receptions for 280 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 14 games and starts.

On March 13,2024, Saquon Barkley signed a three-year $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, of which $26 million was guaranteed over the first two years.

Saquon Barkley felt slighted by the team's insistence that he had to prove his value on the open market, which he described as a "slap in the face".

Saquon Barkley's performance earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Saquon Barkley's 255 rushing yards were the ninth-most in a single game in NFL history and the most in Eagles history.

In Week 17, Saquon Barkley ran for 167 yards and crossed the 2,000 yard mark, becoming only the ninth running back in NFL history to do so.

Saquon Barkley finished the season leading the league with a franchise-record 2,283 yards from scrimmage, which was a league-high 34.8 percent of the team's output, while adding 15 touchdowns.

Saquon Barkley was named a First-team All-Pro, won the Offensive Player of the Year award, and finished third in MVP voting.

Saquon Barkley set NFL records for most rushing and scrimmage yards in a full season, surpassing Terrell Davis.

On March 4,2025, Saquon Barkley signed a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension with the Eagles that includes $36 million guaranteed and up to $15 million more in incentives.

Should Saquon Barkley reach one or more of the incentives in a given year, the incentive amount is added to Saquon Barkley's salary in each of the future remaining contract years.

Saquon Barkley has two children with his fiancee, Anna Congdon, whom he met at Penn State.

Also in 2018, Saquon Barkley was a featured athlete in the 10th Edition of ESPN The Magazine's The Body Issue.

In 2025, Saquon Barkley starred in a Super Bowl commercial for the financial technology company Ramp, in which he is an investor.