Penn State fans will certainly miss seeing Saquon Barkley next year as the running back has declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Just a day after he rushed for 137 yards while helping the No. 9 Nittany Lions secure a 35-28 win over No. 11 Washington in the Fiesta Bowl, Barkley announced his intentions to declare for the draft in a statement on Instagram. He captioned the photo, "Farewell Penn State, thank you for everything!"
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"God has blessed me with the opportunity to pursue the dream I have had since I was a little kid of playing in the NFL," Barkley wrote.
"I hope I have left a lasting impression on this University, football program and community at large. It has been an honor and privilege to be able to call Penn State home and represent the Blue & White and all of the great players who came before me and will follow after me. 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."
It's safe to say that Barkley has left a "lasting impression" in his three years at Penn State. He ran for 3,843 career rushing yards, finishing just 90 yards shy of the program's all-time mark.
Barkley finished the season with an impressive 1,271 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He also won the Paul Hornung Award this year as the nation's most versatile player, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year while finishing fourth in the 2017 Heisman Trophy voting.
Despite all of his accolades, coach James Franklin said he's an even better person than he is a player.
"Saquon Barkley is a once in a lifetime type of player and it has been an honor to coach him and watch him grow into a fantastic young man," Franklin said in a statement. "As good of a player as he is, he is an even better person and I look forward to watching him achieve his dream of playing in the NFL."