They are excited about Saquon Barkley in State College

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A lone figure in midnight green emerged from a throng of dark blue Friday night in the concourse of Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. He wore number #26 and, every few seconds, was greeted with a throaty “Go Birds.”

“Go Barkley,” he yelled back.

Pennsylvania State University might be closer to Pittsburgh, both culturally and geographically, but with Super Bowl LIX approaching, plenty of alumni and folks on campus were rooting for Philadelphia and their beloved alum Saquon Barkley, who was drafted in 2018 and spent years mired in mediocrity with the New York Giants.

“I still remember him giving me chills here,” said Tom Rooney, a Montgomery County resident who wore the Barkley jersey to last week’s wrestling match. “That backward leap he made this year. Those big-time runs. That’s the Saquon I remember. It hurt to see him suffer with the Giants.”

In his final game with the Nittany Lions, Barkley, now 27, scored two touchdowns in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, one of them a 92-yard run. He announced his decision to go pro shortly afterward, on Instagram, saying it was an honor and privilege to be a part of the team and the community at Penn State.

“I will continue to work each and every day to continue to represent Penn State the right way as I move on to the next phase of my life,” he said.

While Barkley, who earned his degree in 2022, finished as one of Penn State’s all-time leading rushers, his overall legacy runs deeper than statistics, fans there said.

“He was, and is, a big part of this school because he was a big part of that 2016 team that reestablished Penn State as nationally relevant,” said Ryan Jones, interim CEO of the school’s alumni association. “He was hurdling guys back then, too. He had a phenomenal game against USC that might be the best, single run I’ve ever seen as a person, and he had so many of them.”

In a statement, Penn State football coach James Franklin said he would be cheering on Barkley on Sunday.

“I am incredibly proud of Saquon and all he has accomplished with the Philadelphia Eagles this season,” Franklin said. “He is a person of high character who drives culture forward and positively impacts those around him. Watching him maximize his opportunities, fight through adversity, and chase his dreams at the highest level is a blessing.”

Barkley was low-key in State College. Often, he’d return to his hometown, Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, to catch a high school game or check in on the kids he babysat. On campus, Barkley clearly hung out in the weight room but was also known to frequent Primanti Bros. and the Lion’s Den, where owner Chris Rosengrant described him as a “perfect gentleman.”

“He was always the kind of guy who was taking care of his boys,” Rosengrant said. “I’m a Steelers fan, but I want the Eagles for Saquon and for [Eagles receiver and 2022 Nittany Lion alum] Jahan Dotson, too. It’s just really to see good things happening to good people.”

Barkley was known for being a good tipper in town. He also met his fiancee, Anna Congdon, at Penn State in 2016. Barkley accompanied Congdon, a nursing major, to her Pi Kappa Phi winter formal that year.

“He’s alright on the field but you should see him on the dance floor,” Congdon wrote about their date on Instagram.

For one fan, Penn State graduate Brian Freas, the Eagles playoff run is more meaningful, filled with more drama, because of where Barkley came from and where he played after being drafted. He’s just waiting for the storybook ending.

“His talent was badly squandered in New York, and so seeing him now — such a humble person and great teammate with deep Pennsylvania roots — playing on the biggest stage is really rewarding,” Freas, a 2004 graduate, said. “It makes me proud knowing that underneath that midnight green streak flying down the field, there is a blue and white Nittany Lion.”