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Saquon Barkley named Pepsi Rookie of the Year

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is headed back to New York with some hardware.

Thursday morning, Barkley was named the Pepsi Rookie of the Year for his 2018 campaign, defeating Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield for the honor. The winner is selected by an online vote from the public.

Former tight end Jeremy Shockey is the only Giant to received the award, being named the recipient in 2002, the inaugural year for the award.

Barkley was also named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association this season. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl.

Barkley totaled 2,028 yards from scrimmage in 2018, becoming just the third rookie in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark. The other two players were Edgerrin James and Eric Dickerson. Barkley also totaled 1,307 rushing yards, becoming the first Giants running back to eclipse 1,000 yards in a single season as a rookie.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB