Is James Franklin, the HC of Penn State, able to dedicate much time to watching NFL games every weekend? The answer is obviously No. It makes sense that he is preoccupied with his team, which is 10-1 and ranked fourth. With one more victory, the program would effectively secure its first College Football Playoff appearance. He hasn’t been able to ignore Saquon Barkley’s recent accomplishments with the Philadelphia Eagles, though.

On November 28, Tyler Donohue, Penn State’s recruiter, shared a post on his X account where James Franklin shared his thoughts on Barley’s MVP buzz, stating, “It’s an example of, he’s at a really good place. Really well-run organization, arguably the best O-line coach in the NFL, behind arguably one of the best offensive lines. And we all knew — I mean, we all knew, right? — that given the opportunity and put in a favorable situation, he’d have a chance to maximize it.“

If you are not aware, facing the Rams on Sunday night, the former RB for the Nittany Lions and 2017 Heisman contender broke an Eagles single-game record with 255 rushing yards. When Barkley broke another team record against the Rams, he had 302 overall yards from scrimmage. His most recent accomplishment was during PSU’s thrilling 21-19 victory over Iowa in 2017. In addition, he leads the NFL with 1,392 running yards in his rookie campaign in Philadelphia and holds the 4th-place record with 10 rushing TDs. He is only one score away from tying his career-high in rushing touchdowns, and with six games left, his total yards are already at a career-high.

With that record in mind, Franklin said, “I think the other thing with him that the Eagles are learning and I talked to them about, is as good of a player he is, he’s just as good, if not a better, teammate. That’s unusual. To have that type of guy in your locker room and that type of leader and that type of presence on your team, it’s a force multiplier in a lot of ways.” Right now, Barkley is receiving a lot of MVP talk.

However, that did not surprise Penn State’s head coach. Why? Is Barkley a worthy contender for MVP or any other grant? Let’s examine it in more detail.

James Franklin’s predictable statement on Barkley

Top quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson are all surrounded by NFL MVP talk, while Saquon is the only offensive player who isn’t a quarterback. However, HC Franklin of Penn State is not surprised, and he said, “I’m not surprised. Proud. Happy. And it’s also cool that he’s doing it here. It’d be cool if he was doing it on the West Coast, but it’s even cooler if he’s doing it right here in his backyard. There’s a huge crossover contingent of Penn State fans and Eagles fans, which is cool. I’m just happy for him and the Eagles organization. It’s a win-win for everybody, which is really, ultimately, what you want.“

Barkley sits third on DraftKings’ list of best chances, with Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills and Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens ahead. Allen and Jackson are both dual-threat quarterbacks, equally adept at throwing deep passes or running for touchdowns. Now, the explanation is straightforward: running backs are not as important as quarterbacks. Teams are constantly shafting the RB market and spending $50 million a year on signal-callers for a reason. There are very few truly elite running backs, but Barkley is reminding people of their value. Let’s see what transpired at the end of the season.