Penn State's Saquon Barkley appreciative of praise from opponents

When Saquon Barkley first played Ohio State, he competed against future NFL draft picks such as Ezekiel Elliott and Braxton Miller. Now, Barkley is the guy players and coaches want to approach and congratulate after games.

And if he's not getting the praise in person, he's receiving direct messages on social media. After the Nittany Lions' 42-13 win last weekend, Michigan freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones reached out to the leading Heisman candidate.

"I obviously say thank you," Barkley said, "and if it's a younger guy, I encourage him and let him know that his time will come."

Players tend to look up to the junior running back, but he acknowledged his game isn't perfect — although it's about as close as it gets. After practice Wednesday, Barkley said he struggles with overthinking on the field.

As an example, he highlighted a drop he suffered against Michigan. While the ball was in the air, he thought ahead to how he would make the defender miss and find the end zone. And then he dropped the ball.

"Sometimes, you just have to sit back and relax and take a deep breath," Barkley said. "Trace [McSorley, quarterback] does a really good job in the backfield with me when I make a mistake or when he sees I'm overthinking. He'll be like, 'Bro, calm down, you're good, next play.' That's something that I have to continue to grow at, that area of my game. I do overthink stuff sometimes."