Saquon Barkley college stats: How good was former #2 overall pick at Penn State?

Saquon Barkley is one of the best running backs in Penn State Nittany Lions' history, one of the top college football programs in the country.

He spent three years with the team between 2015 and 2017, after being heavily recruited out of high school. He played for Whitehall High School, a well-known program in a nationally recognized football conference.

Barkley received many scholarship offers to play football from some of the best universities around the country. However, he chose to attend the legendary Penn State in the prestigious Big Ten conference. He joined the team in 2015 and immediately earned a prominent role in their offense as a true freshman.

He wasted no time at all making an impact for the Nittany Lions as he emerged as one of their best overall players. Despite being a true freshman, Barkley burst onto the scene with 1,237 total scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in his first college football season.

Barkley officially established himself as the featured player in Penn State's offense entering his second year with the team. He improved even further during the 2016 college football season, totalling 1,898 scrimmage yards and a massive 22 touchdowns. He grabbed the attention of professional teams but needed to stay in school for one more season before becoming eligible for the NFL Draft.

The additional year in college football did nothing but improve Saquon Barkley's status as a draft prospect even higher. He repeated another incredible season in 2017, posting 1,903 scrimmage and 21 touchdowns.

He also added another layer to his diverse production, chipping in with 426 kick return yards and two additional touchdowns. He even passed for another touchdown during this final year. He finished in fourth place in the Heisman Trophy voting.

His amazing college football career made Saquon Barkley one of the leading prospects ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. His hype was at an all-time high as he was being talked about as a generational talent at the position.

This resulted in him being selected by the New York Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft for his dynamic rushing, receiving, and returning skillset.

Has Saquon Barkley lived up to the hype in the NFL?

Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley lived up to expectations during his incredible rookie season with the New York Giants. He recorded 2,028 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to being named the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He regressed a bit in his second season before struggling with various injuries over the next three years.

Barkley finally looked healthy again during the 2022 NFL season and responded by earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. He totalled 1,650 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns, despite being in a relatively weak Giants offense.

While healthy, he's lived up to the massive expectations, but has surely struggled at times to stay on the football field. He currently averages more than five career yards per touch and 100 scrimmage yards per game entering the 2023 NFL season.