Saquon Barkley on Heisman snub: I do not need a trophy to define me as a player

There has to be at least a little part of Saquon Barkley that is disappointed he wasn’t named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. After being in the race for a majority of the season, the Penn State running back deserved to at least be invited to the ceremony.

But Barkley took a pretty high road after learning he wasn’t named a finalist for college football’s most prestigious individual award. He handled the situation with absolute class.

On Monday night, Barkley posted a picture on Instagram with a brief message regarding the situation. In what had to be a tough moment, the running back didn’t express any disappointment, anger or frustration. Instead, he thanked all of the fans and teammates for their support, but said he didn’t “need a trophy or to be named a finalist to define (him) as a player.”

Thank you to all of my fans and teammates for the consideration! However, like I stated previously I do not need a trophy or to be named a finalist to define me as a player. I’ve earned the respect from my teammates and coaches, therefore, at the end of the day that’s the only thing that matters! Congratulations to all the deserving Heisman finalists! Once again thank you! #WeAre

A post shared by Saquon Barkley (@sb_xxvi) on Dec 4, 2017 at 7:46pm PST

He also went on to congratulate the other Heisman finalists — Baker Mayfield, Bryce Love and Lamar Jackson — and thanked everyone again for their support.

That’s a pretty mature response from one of the top players in college football.

Barkley finished the season with over 2,000 all-purpose yards to lead the B1G. He also had 22 total touchdowns this season as the Nittany Lions went 10-2.