Saquon Barkley Wins Best Play And Best NFL Player At 2025 ESPY Awards

Penn State’s very own Saquon Barkley just latched two more awards on his belt after arguably the greatest running back season in NFL history.

Barkley won the awards for Best Play and Best NFL Player at the 2025 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. His instantly iconic backwards hurdle in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars took home the recognition over other stellar moments, such as Tyrese Haliburton’s NBA Finals Game 1 game-winning jump shot.

Barkley’s second award of the night encompassed his overall play throughout the entire 2024 NFL season, which is easily marked as the best of his career thus far. Barkley revitalized his career in his first season with the Eagles, securing a Pro Bowl nod, NFL All-Pro First Team selection, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and his first Super Bowl win, all while getting dangerously close to breaking the NFL single-season rushing record. He won the honor over the likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Surtain II.

Barkley signed a two-year, $41.2 million extension with the Eagles in early March, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history as the franchise suits up for a Super Bowl title defense in 2025.