Saquon Barkley says Penn State firing his former coach James Franklin ‘definitely hurts’
“That’s a guy that gave me my shot,” the Eagles running back said of Franklin, whose 12-year run at Penn State ended on Sunday.
Over 11 years ago, James Franklin brought Saquon Barkley to Penn State, flipping his recruitment from Rutgers.
That moment marked the beginning of an illustrious college career for Barkley under Franklin. The Eagles’ star running back went on to set multiple records at Penn State, ranking first in program history in career rushing touchdowns (43), total touchdowns (53), and all-purpose yards (5,538) over a span of three seasons.
Franklin’s 12-year tenure as Penn State’s head coach ended last Sunday when he was fired following the program’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern. Barkley was sympathetic toward Franklin when asked on Friday for his reaction to the decision.
“For me, seeing Coach Franklin get fired definitely hurts,” Barkley said. “That’s a guy [who] gave me my shot.”
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Despite Penn State’s 3-3 overall record this season, Barkley noted that Franklin helped bring the program back to national prominence throughout his time at the helm. Franklin was hired in 2014 in the midst of a postseason ban and scholarship reductions, which were among the repercussions Penn State faced for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
The height of that prominence came in 2016, when Penn State won the Big Ten championship for the first time in program history. Later in the postseason, they fell one game short of the College Football Playoff when Penn State lost to Southern California in the Rose Bowl, in which Barkley scored three touchdowns.
Barkley was a key piece of Penn State’s overall success that year, setting a school record for most rushing yards in a season by a sophomore (1,496). Still, the running back credited Franklin as the reason why the program rebounded.
“At one point, Penn State wasn’t spoken about how it’s been spoken about in the last couple years,” Barkley said.
Barkley said he has a close bond with Franklin and is focused on the well-being of his former coach and his family.
“I’ve just got nothing but respect for Coach Franklin, not just as a coach, but as a man,” Barkley said. “I don’t really use the word ‘father figure,’ because my father was in my life. But whatever term’s underneath that, he definitely played a big part in life and influence in my life.
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“And him and his family, so that’s really the first I’m going to talk about it, more of just worried [about] the family. Worried about him. Obviously, yes, he’s making a lot of money, of course. But he put a lot of himself into that program over there. And it [stinks] to see him go.”