Saquon Barkley is happy for James Franklin.
But make no mistake, the Penn State legend and Philadelphia Eagles running back won’t be rooting for Franklin if Virginia Tech ever plays the Nittany Lions.
“Happy for him,” Barkley told reporters on Friday, a couple days after Franklin was formally introduced as Virginia Tech’s new head coach. “... Excited for him and his family. Wish nothing but success. But at the same time, anytime he plays Penn State, I gotta go with Penn State.”
Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Barkley was asked about Franklin, who coached the Nittany Lions’ All-American, record-setting tailback from 2015-17.
Barkley was initially recruited by Bill O’Brien’s staff. The Whitehall standout was a Rutgers commit when he attended Penn State’s four-overtime White Out win over Michigan, an experience that he has said in the past was transformative.
But it was Franklin, who was hired in January 2014 after O’Brien left for the Houston Texans, and his staff who finished the job and brought Barkley to Happy Valley.
“The way I look at it is, James Franklin’s a guy who — I had offers, probably had like three or four offers — but I wasn’t really a big recruit,” Barkley said. “Him, alongside (assistant coaches Sean Spencer and Charles Huff) believed in me and gave me an opportunity.”
Penn State coach James Franklin through the years
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and head coach James Franklin hug during pregame at the Fiesta Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Dec. 30, 2017. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com HARHAR
Barkley took that opportunity and ran with it. The Coplay product rushed for 3,843 yards in three seasons and set the program records for rushing touchdowns and all-purpose yards.
Barkley was drafted by the New York Giants with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. And after establishing himself as one of the best backs in the league, Barkley left New York and joined the Eagles ahead of the 2024 season.
Barkley had a memorable debut season, becoming the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and winning Super Bowl LIX.
Through it all, Barkley has always used Franklin as a sounding board for advice.
“I know for sure,” Barkley said, “that I’m not sitting here right now in front of you guys answering these questions if it wasn’t for James Franklin.”
Franklin was fired by Penn State on Oct. 12 after a 3-3 start to a season with national title aspirations. Days later, Barkley was asked for his thoughts on the situation.
“For me, seeing Coach Franklin get fired definitely hurts,” Barkley said on Oct. 17. “That’s the guy that gave me my shot. He’s a big reason why Penn State — I know I’ve said this season’s not going the way we’d like right now — but the game before the national championship the year before, the Big Ten championships. Like, at one point, Penn State wasn’t spoken about how it’s spoken about the last couple of years.
“I’ve just got nothing but respect for Coach Franklin, not just as a coach, but as a man. 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 my life and influence in my life and him and his family.”
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