Former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley recently fulfilled his promise to his parents and head coach James Franklin by returning to school to earn his degree. Barkley officially graduated from Penn State this spring after previously leaving school early to pursue his career in the NFL.
“It’s something I wanted to accomplish, something that I had to make a promise to my mom, my dad, when I had the conversation with Coach Franklin that I’m going to leave school early, he made me promise that I’ll come back and get my degree, too,” Barkley said when asked about earning his degree during a media session with New York Giants media on Wednesday.
Barkley said the injury issues he has had led to some extra downtime that allowed him to focus a bit more on his education.
“Been banged up a little bit over the year, so I had a little extra time on my hands that I probably wouldn’t have liked, but I was able to accomplish that and get my degree,” Barkley said.
Barkley was asked if he told his daughter about graduating from Penn State, but the former Nittany Lions running back knows it is not a concept she fully grasps yet. However, Barkley said it was important for him to get his degree not just for his daughter, but for other young members in his family as well.
“ she gets older it will make a little bit more sense to her. But not just my daughter, my nieces, my nephews, brothers and sisters, my whole family,” Barkley said. “They’re excited for me and happy that I was able to accomplish that, and I’m thankful for all of them.”
Barkley is entering his fifth season in the NFL, all with the Giants. The Giants used a No. 2 overall pick on Barkley in the 2018 NFL draft and Barkley earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in his debut season.
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