Penn State Had Two Words for Saquon Barkley After Big Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nathan Dougherty | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 12:44 PM ET

Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley followed up his Super Bowl title with another big honor after EA Sports announced that he will be on the cover of the "Madden 26" video game.

The announcement brought a big reaction from fans, including some props from Barkley's college alma mater.

"We Are!!!" the Penn State Football account commented on the Instagram post.

The "We are" statement reflects the popular rallying cry for Penn State, especially at Nittany Lions football games. The Penn State program also re-shared the EA Sports announcement along with more congratulations for Barkley.

"26 on the cover of Madden 26 Who else but @Saquon?" the Nittany Lions program shared in its Instagram post.

Barkley had a standout career at Penn State, earning All-American honors in his final season and taking home Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors twice. He rushed for a total of 3,843 yards with 43 touchdowns in three seasons, leading the FBS in each of his final two seasons with 18 rushing touchdowns and 21 total touchdowns.

Saquon Barkley and his hurdle grace the cover of Madden 26 @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/13v5alJK6S
— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2025

Barkley opened up about his honors from EA Sports, including becoming the first member of the Eagles offense to join the Madden '99 Club.'

"Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL '99 Club' are both dreams come true," Barkley said, via ESPN. "I'm grateful to my teammates, coaches and Eagles fans for their support, and I can't wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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