We’ve known for a while that ESPN analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit is a closet Penn State fan.

He’s praised the student section in Beaver Stadium for years. He called the Nittany Lions run last season the story of the year in college football. He even said that he hoped to make a return trip to Happy Valley for College GameDay after the near decade-long absence — a wish he received yesterday.

He somehow found an even greater compliment to the program — referring to the Penn State player, through the years, as the most “consistent” person off the field, and finishing that by saying “I have four boys, if they could grow up to be like [Saquon Barkley], or grow up to be like a Jason Cabinda, or a Todd Blackledge…” among many other Nittany Lions.

Listen in:@KirkHerbstreit talks why he'd want his sons to grow up to be like Penn State Football Players during an interview w/ @saquonb21 pic.twitter.com/2Z4QnDvZ1F

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 14, 2017

The quote was part of an interview with Saquon Barkley for the ESPN podcast, “Herbstreit & Fitzsimmons Show.”

Barkley responded to Herbstreit, who asked what is it about Penn State players that they are so “buttoned up,” by crediting the current coaching staff, as well as the standard set by the previous coaching staffs.

“The standard at Penn State, obviously you want to be good at football, but it’s more than football,” Barkley said. “It’s more about life. It’s more about school. How you carry yourself as a person. Be respectful to others.”