Saquon Barkley on Penn State, his ‘coming out party’ vs. Ohio State, his relationship with James Franklin, and more

Prime Video’s Saquon documentary follows the Eagles running back through five years of his career in the NFL — from tearing his ACL to contract disputes with the Giants to a Super Bowl title. But it also covers his journey leading up to draft night.

Before entering the league, Barkley was a young running back putting up big numbers at Penn State. And before that, he was just another young kid playing the sport he loved on the Pop Warner level. Well, maybe not just another young kid.

“I knew since he was a little kid, I knew he was different,” said Barkley’s father, Alibay.

From almost quitting football at a young age to his relationship with his Penn State coach James Franklin, here are some more things we learned from Saquon about his time in Happy Valley and before …

A young Barkley, wearing No. 20, shifted through opponents and broke tackles as he tried to find his way to the end zone. The old clips from his Pop Warner days played across the screen as his father discussed his stats.

”He scored like 29 touchdowns in 8 games,” Alibay said. “Just think about it.”

» READ MORE: Prime Video’s ‘Saquon’ doc goes from ACL tears and contract disputes to Super Bowl highs. Here’s what we learned.

Barkley’s success from his Pop Warner days quickly earned him the nickname “Little Barry Sanders.” From a young age, both parents realized Barkley was something special on the gridiron.

“I’m not a sports person,” said Barkley’s mother, Tonya Johnson. “I’ll make sure your clothes is clean, the house is clean. I’ll cook food for you, you know what I mean. I was that type of mother. I catered to all their other needs. [Alibay] came to me and he was like, ‘You have to come to the games. You have to see this kid.’”

Barkley continued playing football at Whitehall High School in Whitehall Township, Pa., where he rushed for 3,646 yards and 63 touchdowns from his sophomore to his senior year, with nearly half — 1,856 yards and 31 touchdowns — coming in his final year alone.

But early success didn’t come easy.

“He was skinny, on the weaker side, and lacked confidence,” said his high school football coach Brian Gilbert. “But we all saw that he had strength.”

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley wasn’t a basketball star at Whitehall. He was a bowling ball — just like he’s now for the Eagles.

Barkley said he wasn’t committed, he wasn’t lifting the way he should have, and he wasn’t training the way he should have. At one point the three-time Pro Bowl running back even thought about quitting.

“[I] wanted to quit, which is selfish and immature,” Barkley said. “My father said to me, ‘Once you quit one thing in life, you’re going to be a quitter for the rest of your life.’ That mindset that was instilled in me at that age helped me realize that life ain’t always going to be easy, and when it’s not easy you just can’t give up and quit.”

In 2014, Barkley committed to Penn State.

“When I got an offer it was like, ‘Oh crap, I can do something with this, I can get to the next level, I can get a free education out of this,’” Barkley recalled. “I went to the Penn State-Michigan ‘White Out’ game. I had to make a decision — looking back on it, it’s probably the best decision I ever made in my life.”

From weight room training and running drills at practice, Penn State head coach James Franklin knew they had something special in Barkley. His performance in one specific drill known for its intensity, called the Lion’s Den, really solidified this.

» READ MORE: Former teammates and Penn State students share Saquon Barkley stories: ‘A special way of bringing others with him’

The Lion’s Den is a variation of the Oklahoma Drill, featuring three offensive lineman and a running back on one side and three defensive lineman and a linebacker or safety on the other side.

“It’s kind of a toughness drill,” Franklin said. “He made all three [players] miss and like the entire team just exploded. That’s something you don’t see. … He would just do things that you don’t see very often. Out of my 26 years, I’ve never seen anyone like him.”

Barkley said his official “coming out party” was in 2015, in his first game against Ohio State, who was the No. 1 team in the country at the time with players like Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott.

“Out of all those guys, I felt like I was the best player,” Barkley said.

Throughout his three years at Penn State, he rushed for 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns, recorded 102 receptions for 1,195 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns. He was a two-time Big Ten MVP, a two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year, two-time Big Ten running back of the year, and two-time first-team All-Big Ten.

Barkley declared for the draft after his junior year at Penn State. On the night of, the running back waited for his name to be called — of course, he didn’t have to wait too long.

“I’m not nervous,” Barkley said. “If a team passes me, can I call them and be like listen, ‘I promise if you pass on me, you’re going to feel me for 10 years.’”

» READ MORE: Our best Saquon Barkley stories — and his best performances — from his time at Penn State

The only team to pass on Barkley was the Cleveland Browns, who selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. With the second overall pick, the Giants took Barkley.

“When you get drafted that high, you have to be Adrian Peterson level or Barry Sanders level,” Barkley said. “I mean, that’s why I play the game. That’s why I train so hard. I’m going to be the best running back to play football.”

He’s been making his case on the field. Throughout his career, Barkley earned NFL offensive rookie of the year and offensive player of the year, is a three-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion, and last season became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. His 2,504 rushing yards, including the postseason, set a new NFL record.

However, he still goes back to his relationship with Franklin. Immediately after the Giants franchise tagged Barkley, the running back called his former coach for advice on how to handle their contract disputes leading up to the 2023 season.

“I called coach Franklin, I said, ‘You have no skin in the game. … How do you think I should handle the situation?’” Barkley said. “He pulled the heartstrings a little bit. He said, ‘The Saquon I’ve known since he was 18 years old would go there, show up, ball out, and make it all work.’ And I said, in my mind, ‘You damn right.’”

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley Q&A: From his favorite Penn State traditions to his desire to be ‘the next Michael Strahan’