Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, the current Heisman front runner in college football, is on pace to have a monster year in 2017, a fact underscored by his performances all season against defenses selling out to stop him.
And he was one College Football Hall of Famer raving about his pro prospects.
Barkley has 649 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns this year, despite teams stacking the box to try to limit him. And Jack Ham, one of the best linebackers in NFL history as well as a Penn State alum, thinks Barkley is ready to excel on Sundays.
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Ham, a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker with eight Pro Bowl selections as well as four Super Bowl rings, thinks Barkley is one of the best players in the country and fully deserving of the Heisman buzz.
“I think that a lot of goes with how the season goes,” Ham told Sporting News. “You’re getting into this thick of the Big Ten season (which) is awfully difficult. You have back-to-back with Ohio State and Michigan. I think he’ll be out there in the mix out there in New York. But his chance of winning it goes with how well the season goes for Penn State.”
He also likens Barkley to a star running back in the NFL: “The guy he reminds me of a little bit of him because of the route running is Le’Veon Bell.”
Barkley, he says, is a different runner. But he sees some similarities, and that's certainly high praise. Bell, coincidentally, is coming off his own big weekend with 179 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' win over the Chiefs.
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And Ham, now a radio analyst for Penn State, thinks Barkley could be a top pick in next spring’s NFL draft.
“Without a doubt, Mel Kiper has him going No. 2 right now. He’s such a good receiver out there,” Ham said. “At times this year, he has led the team in rushing and receiving, at least two or three games this year. He’s an outstanding route-runner out of the backfield as well.
“If he stays healthy this year, if goes past No. 3 I’ll be shocked. He’s a really good player.”
Last spring, Ham said he watched Barkley run a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash. Later, in training camp, he saw him dust off a 4.34 time. Neither run, Hamm insists, was wind-aided.
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Ham received his own appreciation recently, being named a Hometown Hall of Famers recipient. The Hometown Hall of Famers is a national program that honors the hometown roots of the greatest heroes of the game with a plaque dedication and presentation to the Hall of Famer's school, done in conjunction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ford.
“They’ve created a platform where Hall of Famers can go back to their hometown or their university and thank them for what they did for that player,” Ham said. “I think it’s a great thing what they’re doing, let me do that at Penn State and giving them a plaque. You’re 18-year old and looking to find direction for life — your college program does that and that’s what happened to me here at Penn State.”