kids encyclopedia robot

Saquon Barkley facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Saquon Barkley
refer to caption
Barkley in 2024
No. 26 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1997-02-09) February 9, 1997 (age 28)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school: Whitehall (Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania)
College: Penn State (2015–2017)
NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Super Bowl champion (LIX)
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2024)
  • NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2018)
  • First-team All-Pro (2024)
  • 3× Pro Bowl (2018, 2022, 2024)
  • NFL rushing yards leader (2024)
  • Bert Bell Award (2024)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (2018)
  • Paul Hornung Award (2017)
  • Consensus All-American (2017)
  • Third-team All-American (2016)
  • 2× Big Ten Most Valuable Player (2016, 2017)
  • 2× Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2016, 2017)
  • 2× Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2016, 2017)
  • Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year (2017)
  • 2× First-team All-Big Ten (2016, 2017)
  • Second-team All-Big Ten (2015)
NFL records
  • Receptions by a running back in a rookie season: 91
  • Scrimmage yards in a single season (regular season & post-season combined): 2,857
  • Rushing yards in a single season (regular season & post-season combined): 2,504
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Rushing yards: 7,216
Rushing average: 4.7
Rushing touchdowns: 48
Receptions: 321
Receiving yards: 2,378
Receiving touchdowns: 14

Saquon Rasul Quevis Barkley (born February 9, 1997) is a famous American football star. He plays the running back position for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League (NFL). He is known for his incredible speed, strength, and amazing plays on the field.

Before joining the NFL, Barkley was a standout player for the Penn State Nittany Lions in college. He set many school records there. In 2018, he was chosen by the New York Giants as the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

With the Giants, he was named the NFL's best new offensive player, or NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. After six seasons, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first year with the Eagles, he had a historic season, rushing for over 2,000 yards, winning the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, and helping his team win Super Bowl LIX.

Early Life and High School

Saquon Barkley was born in The Bronx, New York. His family has a history in sports. His father, Alibay Barkley, was a boxer, and his great-uncle, Iran Barkley, was a world champion boxer.

When Saquon was a child, his family moved to Pennsylvania. He grew up there and went to Whitehall High School. At Whitehall, he was a superstar athlete. In football, he rushed for over 3,600 yards and scored 63 touchdowns in three years.

He was also great at other sports. In track and field, he set a school record with a 10.90-second 100-meter dash. His amazing talent in football earned him scholarship offers from many top colleges. He decided to play for Penn State.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Saquon Barkley
RB		 Coplay, Pennsylvania Whitehall HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 233 lb (106 kg) 4.66 Feb 19, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College Career at Penn State

Saquon Barkley
Barkley playing for Penn State in 2017.

Barkley played for Penn State from 2015 to 2017 and became one of the best players in the school's history.

A Rising Star

As a freshman in 2015, Barkley immediately showed his talent. He rushed for over 1,000 yards, setting a new school record for a first-year player.

In his second year, he was even better. He rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He helped lead Penn State to a Big Ten Championship victory. For his amazing performance, he was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Final College Season

In his junior year in 2017, Barkley continued to impress everyone. He could run, catch, and even return kicks for touchdowns. He set a school record for the most all-purpose yards in a single game with 358. After another great season, he decided to leave college a year early to enter the NFL draft.

By the end of his college career, Barkley had set many Penn State records, including the most career rushing touchdowns (43).

College Statistics

Penn State Nittany Lions
Season Games Rushing Receiving Kick returns
GP GS Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Ret Yds Avg TD
2015 11 6 182 1,076 5.9 7 20 161 8.1 1 0 0 0.0 0
2016 14 14 272 1,496 5.5 18 28 402 14.4 4 3 74 24.7 0
2017 13 12 217 1,271 5.9 18 54 632 11.7 3 15 426 28.4 2
Career 38 32 672 3,843 5.7 43 102 1,195 11.7 8 18 500 27.8 2

Professional Career

Saquon Barkley 2018
Barkley during training camp with the New York Giants in 2018.

Barkley was so good in college that everyone knew he would be one of the first players chosen in the 2018 NFL draft. At the NFL Combine, an event where players show off their athletic skills, he amazed coaches with his speed and strength.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Bench press
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)		 233 lb
(106 kg)		 31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		 9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.40 s 1.54 s 2.57 s 4.24 s 41 in
(1.04 m)		 29 reps
All values from NFL Combine.

New York Giants (2018–2023)

Saquon Barkley (46250993361)
Barkley playing for the Giants in 2018.

The New York Giants selected Barkley with the second overall pick in the draft. He made an immediate impact on the team.

In his first season, he rushed for over 1,300 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns. He set many records for a rookie player and was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also selected for the Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game.

Barkley continued to be a key player for the Giants for several years. In 2020, he suffered a serious knee injury that caused him to miss most of the season. However, he worked hard to recover and returned to his star form. In 2022, he had another great season, rushing for over 1,300 yards and making the Pro Bowl again.

Philadelphia Eagles (2024–Present)

Giants Captains 2019 (cropped)
Barkley (#26 in center) with other Giants' team captains in 2019.

In March 2024, Barkley signed a big contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, a rival of his old team. Fans were very excited to see him play in Philadelphia.

A Record-Breaking First Season

Barkley's first season with the Eagles in 2024 was one of the best in NFL history for a running back. He scored three touchdowns in his very first game. Throughout the season, he broke many records.

He became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. He also set a new Eagles record for the most rushing yards in one game with 255. At the end of the season, he was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Super Bowl Champion

Barkley's amazing season continued into the playoffs. He helped lead the Eagles through the playoffs and to Super Bowl LIX. In the Super Bowl, which was played on his 28th birthday, the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Barkley became a Super Bowl champion for the first time.

He also set new NFL records for the most rushing yards (2,504) and total yards from scrimmage (2,857) in a full season, including playoffs.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Scrimmage Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fum Lost
2018 NYG 16 16 261 1,307 5.0 78 11 91 721 7.9 57 4 352 5.8 2,028 15 0 0
2019 NYG 13 13 217 1,003 4.6 68 6 52 438 8.4 65 2 269 5.4 1,441 8 1 0
2020 NYG 2 2 19 34 1.8 8 0 6 60 10.0 20 0 25 3.8 94 0 0 0
2021 NYG 13 13 162 593 3.7 41 2 41 263 6.4 54 2 203 4.2 856 4 2 1
2022 NYG 16 16 295 1,312 4.4 68 10 57 338 5.9 41 0 352 4.7 1,650 10 1 0
2023 NYG 14 14 247 962 3.9 36 6 41 280 6.8 46 4 288 4.3 1,242 10 2 2
2024 PHI 16 16 345 2,005 5.8 72 13 33 278 8.4 43 2 378 6.0 2,283 15 2 1
2025 PHI 6 6 95 325 3.4 18 3 19 137 7.2 47 1 114 4.1 462 4 0 0
Career 91 91 1,564 7,276 4.7 78 49 325 2,402 7.4 65 14 1,889 5.1 9,648 63 8 4

Postseason

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Scrimmage Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fum Lost
2022 NYG 2 2 18 114 6.3 39 2 7 77 11.0 24 0 25 7.6 191 2 0 0
2024 PHI 4 4 91 499 5.5 78 5 13 75 5.8 22 0 104 5.5 574 5 0 0
Career 6 6 109 613 5.6 78 7 20 152 7.6 24 0 129 5.9 765 7 0 0

Personal Life

Barkley is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Anna Congdon. The couple have two children.

In 2018, the state of Pennsylvania created a special holiday called "Saquon Barkley Day" on March 14 to honor him. There was a parade in his hometown of Coplay, Pennsylvania, to celebrate.

Because of his popularity, Barkley has appeared in commercials and magazines. In 2025, he was chosen as the cover athlete for the popular video game Madden 26.

Images for kids

  • Saquon Barkley Falcons vs Giants SEP2021

    Barkley with the Giants against the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

  • Camouflage and Community Eagles Host Tri-State Troops for Military Appreciation Day (7)

    Barkley in 2025.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Saquon Barkley para niños

  • List of National Football League records (individual)
  • List of New York Giants first-round draft picks
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Saquon Barkley Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.