Saquon Barkley is a finalist for the Lombardi Award, adding to the long list of accolades the star running back accrued during his final season as a Nittany Lion.

RB @saquonb21 is named a finalist for the 2017 Lombardi award! Congrats, Saquon! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/IxFpeqrdXU

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 22, 2018

The Lombardi Award is given “based on performance, leadership, character, and resiliency” each year. Only two other Penn State players have won the award: Bruce Clark in 1978 and Carl Nassib in 2015.

Barkley was one of 21 nominees for the award. Other finalists include Minkah Fitzpatrick, Lamar Jackson, Bryce Love, Baker Mayfield, Joel Lanning, and Shaquem Griffin.

Barkley rushed for 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns during the 2017 season. He won several post-season awards for his standout 2017 season, including the Paul Hornung Award. Barkley was also unanimously selected as a consensus All-American and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player Of The Year for the second straight season.

The finalists for the award will be invited to the Lombardi Award presentation on Saturday, January 27 at Lone Star College in Houston. The ceremony will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.

About the Author

Derek Bannister

Derek is a senior majoring in Economics and History. He is legally required to tell you that he's from right outside of Philly. Email Derek compliments and dad-jokes at derekbannister@onwardstate.com.

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