Penn State still doesn’t know who will replace Saquon Barkley as the bell cow of its running game next season. They do, though, know who it won’t be.
The Centre Daily Times confirmed through a university spokesperson that running back Andre Robinson and kicker Alex Barbir are no longer a part of James Franklin‘s football program. Both players have been granted a release by the school and intend to transfer to other programs.
The move by Robinson is by far the most noteworthy.
A redshirt sophomore, Robinson was third among Nittany Lions running backs this season with 55 yards and one touchdown on the ground in 2017. He finishes the PSU portion of his playing career with 196 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries.
With Robinson out of the picture, and Barkley very likely leaving early for the NFL draft, Miles Sanders’ 176 yards rushing will make him the team’s leading returning rusher amongst returning backs. Four-star 2018 commit Ricky Slade will also be a very likely candidate to contribute immediately.
Barbir, a redshirt freshman, kicked off six times this season.