Saquon Barkley Recalls Life-Changing Advice From His Father After Nearly Quitting Football in High School

Saquon Barkley’s NFL fortunes flipped on a dime last offseason. He went from a woebegone New York Giants franchise to an efficiently run Philadelphia Eagles organization in free agency. Now, roughly 11 months later, he’s a Super Bowl champion.

This drastic turnaround wouldn’t have been possible without Saquon’s father, Alibay. Barkley joined The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday and revealed he likely would have quit football in his early teens if it weren’t for his dad.

Barkley said he “started grinding way harder” after hearing his father’s advice. The positive results soon followed. Barkley racked up 3,646 rushing yards and 63 touchdowns in three seasons at Whitehall High School. His outstanding production led him to initially commit to Rutgers but eventually paved his path to Penn State.

So what was this life-changing advice?

“I was like, 13, 14 years old when I almost gave up the sport. I was immature, I wasn’t doing great in school. It wasn’t going my way, and I kind of wanted to quit… my father gave me a quote that I kind of live by. He said, ‘you quit one thing in life, you’re going to be a quitter for the rest of your life’… that kind of put me back right back on the right path.”

Once he arrived in Happy Valley, Barkley again began stealing the show. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three years with the Nittany Lions, racking up 5,038 yards from scrimmage and 53 touchdowns. Two of his scores came as a kick returner during his junior season, when he paced the nation with 28.4 yards per return.

This Penn State vs Ohio State memory is a classic

Throwback to when @saquon silenced The Shoe on this 97-yard game-opening kick return touchdown for @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/fWWdKMreTE

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 20, 2023

Barkley finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting that year, behind Baker Mayfield, Bryce Love, and Lamar Jackson. Mayfield is the only player who went off the 2018 NFL Draft board ahead of him, though, as the Giants selected Barkley with the second overall pick. Barkley then recorded 7,311 scrimmage yards and 47 touchdowns in six seasons for New York before joining Philadelphia in free agency.

This year – his first with the Eagles – Barkley dominated the league, posting the ninth-ever 2,000-yard rushing season. He captured Offensive Player of the Year honors for his efforts and helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX.

Barkley may never have accomplished these dreams without his father’s guidance. One day, he’ll pass Aliday’s lesson onto his children (Jada and Saquon Jr). And with any luck, he’ll get to see them holding championship trophies of their own down the line.