Saquon Barkley could be throwing a first pitch, running over a defender or hitting a golf ball. It doesn’t matter. Muscles seemingly protrude from his quads as if he’s the Incredible Hulk, no matter the task.
It’s the inevitable consequence of having tree trunks pose as limbs. There is a reason Barkley can squat 650 pounds, clean more than 400 pounds and holds just about every record for a running back in the Penn State weight room.
Barkley has 28-inch quads, according to Tom Marchitelli, the owner of Gentleman’s Playbook Custom Suits, who fitted Barkley for his draft day suit. Marchitelli said that is bigger than most of his clients who are linebackers.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Barkley’s new teammates with the New York Giants have noticed these gargantuan legs, perhaps because they seem more appropriate (based on sheer size) for a lineman but have the definition usually reserved for finely tuned skill-position players. They’ve seen up close and personal during workouts and practices the sheer size of these monsters. Star wide receiver Odell Beckham even minted the nickname “SaQuads” back in the spring, according to Barkley.
This is all new to Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. He’s been called SaySay or Say or Quon before. But never SaQuads, until now. It seems to have caught on.
Giants fan Joe Ruback, better known as License Plate Guy, even put the new nickname on the back of Barkley’s jersey at the Landon Collins Celebrity Softball game he organized last month. Barkley wore it with pride, even though the nickname isn’t exactly his favorite.
“It’s fun. It’s all fun,” Barkley said. “You know, SaQuads. I’m a rookie right now. They’re having a little fun with me. That’s cool. It’s cool. I think the fans are enjoying it. I’m going to stick with it a little bit.”
In the long run, Barkley is hoping that he will be better known for what he does on the field with the Giants than the size of his leg muscles. Maybe then SaQuads will fade.
At Penn State, Barkley went from a fine physical specimen to a somewhat mythical physique. He did it by dominating in the weight room.
“He’s got the quads and calves of a 300-pound bodybuilder,” said Brian Stamper, Barkley’s pre-draft trainer at Tom Shaw Performance in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year.
Galt insists that if Barkley wanted, squatting 700 pounds would be attainable. Already, he’s third all-time at Penn State, having successfully squatted 650 pounds. Only an offensive lineman and a defensive tackle surpassed him.nfl cheap jerseys nike
Galt and the Penn State coaching staff had to walk the fine line between allowing the relentless Barkley to grow physically and putting his football future at risk. They were holding him back at practice to protect their most valuable asset and needed to do the same in the weight room, for the sake of the player and the team.
