The Carolina Panthers started a new regime this season, and one of their first moves was bringing in a quality running back. They found Miles Sanders, the former Philadelphia Eagle, and gave him a four-year, $25.4 million deal.
Sanders, along with the Panthers as a whole, hasn’t had the season he was hoping for through nine weeks. In seven games played, Sanders has 69 carries for 229 yards, a 3.3-yard average, and one touchdown.
His career started in Philadelphia, where he spent four years. During his time there, he compiled 739 carries for 3,708 yards and 20 touchdowns. His breakout season was in 2022 when he ran for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns on 259 attempts.
Sanders isn’t the only running back with that name, as everyone knows. Arguably the G.O.A.T. of the running back position is Barry Sanders, the former Detroit Lion and Oklahoma State Cowboy. Are the two related, though?
Are Miles Sanders and Legendary Running Back Barry Sanders Related?
Long story short: no. The two running backs aren’t blood-related. The 26-year-old did, however, took inspiration from Barry, saying, “I looked up to Barry Sanders a lot.”
Barry, who is currently 55, does have four children. Barry J., Nigel, Noah, and Nicholas are his four sons. He retired at only 31 years old in 1999 — two years after Miles Sanders was born (May 1, 1997)
Now, what did Barry Sanders’ kids do? Well, his oldest son, Barry J., played college football for four years from 2013-2016. He spent three seasons at Stanford before he transferred to Oklahoma State, his father’s alma mater.
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During his time in college, Barry J. rushed for 765 yards and seven touchdowns on 143 carries. This includes 28 attempts for 93 yards and two touchdowns at Oklahoma State.
On Miles’ side of things, he had to pick up the legacy at Penn State that Saquon Barkley left. Sanders spent three seasons with the Nittany Lions from 2016-2018. Two of those years, 2016 and 2017, were spent alongside Barkley.
In his junior season with Penn State, Sanders rushed for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns on 220 carries. In his two seasons with Barkley, he had 56 total attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns.
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