Running back Saquon Barkley, expected to be a top-five selection in Thursday's NFL draft, welcomed on Tuesday the birth of his first child with girlfriend Anna Congdon. Barkley posted photos of daughter Jada Clare Barkley via Instagram.
Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley spent the past month reminding his teammates on the offensive side of the ball that they still have plenty to prove following the departures of running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki.
A 6-foot QB with a winning pedigree overlooked by recruiters because of his size? Trace McSorley hopes to finish his career like Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs have brought in Penn State running back Saquon Barkley for a pre-draft visit. Previously unreported.
Saquon Barkley is the best running back prospect since ...? Here's where Todd McShay grades him vs. Adrian Peterson, Ezekiel Elliott and other first-round RBs since 2007.
Todd McShay has 108 prospects with first-, second- or third-round grades in the 2018 class. Saquon Barkley is at the top. Who joins him?
Peter Burns, Adam Rittenberg and Chris Low discuss spring action, observations from Penn State (10:38), Ohio State (12:45), Alabama (18:10), Clemson (23:28), Georgia (28:38) and more.
We knew Saquon Barkley would test off the charts. But it was surprising that every Nittany Lion who went through the combine jumped off the page.
Of course Saquon Barkley tops Todd McShay's annual list of the most elusive players in the draft. The running back could be picked No. 1 overall. Here's the rest of the 2018 squad.
After exploring his options, Penn State backup quarterback Tommy Stevens has decided to stay with the Nittany Lions. In addition to backing up signal-caller Trace McSorley, Stevens also has been used as a halfback and a wide receiver.
Penn State's all-everything RB is off to the NFL. Its creative offensive coordinator is now the head coach at Mississippi State. So it falls to 37-year-old former Cornell QB Ricky Rahne to keep the PSU offense flying.
A source tells me that Bucs wide receivers coach Skyler Fulton is meeting with Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton today. Fulton was also at Hamilton's pro day yesterday, where Hamilton ran a 4.47 (he did not run at the combine). He has nine scheduled workouts with teams to far.
Saquon Barkley decided he wouldn't work out at Penn State's pro day because there weren't any NFL running backs coaches in attendance.
Penn State coaches like Cam Brown and Koa Farmer at the outside linebacker spots but need someone in the middle to replace Jason Cabinda. There are "a lot of candidates," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said, including three early enrollees. It's unlikely heralded freshman Micah Parsons will play the middle as he's never played linebacker before, but Jesse Luketa and Nick Tarburton could slide in. Redshirt freshman Ellis Brooks is another candidate.
Penn State will get back to rotating its running backs more this season. "I wanted to give our team the best chance to win and I wanted to give Saquon [Barkley] the best chance to win the Heisman," coach James Franklin said, "so I wasn't taking him off the field. ... That caused a lot of issues with our other running backs. That was a struggle for those guys. At the end of the day, everybody kind of understood it, but it's still hard to deal with. Now we're in a situation where those guys are really hungry to show that they could do."
Saquon Barkley's NFL combine performance might have impressed everyone but himself -- or those who have seen him test at Penn State. "Very average day," PSU coach James Franklin told me this morning. "He's always run 4.3, always, and I thought by going and training with somebody, he might get into the high 4.2's. I've seen him bench-press 34 times before. He didn't hit any of his [personal records]. I don't want people to misinterpret what I'm saying. An average day for him was the best testing numbers for any running back in the country."
| East | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 8-1 | 12-2 |
| Penn State | 7-2 | 11-2 |
| Michigan State | 7-2 | 10-3 |
| Michigan | 5-4 | 8-5 |
| Rutgers | 3-6 | 4-8 |
| Maryland | 2-7 | 4-8 |
| Indiana | 2-7 | 5-7 |
| West | CONF | OVR |
| Wisconsin | 9-0 | 13-1 |
| Northwestern | 7-2 | 10-3 |
| Purdue | 4-5 | 7-6 |
| Iowa | 4-5 | 8-5 |
| Nebraska | 3-6 | 4-8 |
| Minnesota | 2-7 | 5-7 |
| Illinois | 0-9 | 2-10 |
| CFP RANKINGS | AP | COACHES |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 8 | 8 |
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Parsons | DE | Signed | 91 |
| Justin Shorter | WR | Signed | 91 |
| Ricky Slade | RB | Signed | 88 |
| P.J. Mustipher | DT | Signed | 84 |
| Jayson Oweh | DE | Signed | 84 |
| YEAR | PLAYER | AWARD |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | S. Barkley | Paul Hornung Award |
| 2015 | C. Nassib | Lombardi Award |
| 2015 | C. Nassib | Ted Hendricks Award |
| 2015 | C. Nassib | Lott IMPACT Trophy |
| 2013 | J. Urschel | Campbell Trophy |
