Coplay (Pa.) Whitehall senior running back Ali Barkley has made a decision on where he’ll play football next fall. The three-star prospect, who is the younger brother of former Penn State superstar and current New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, will take a prep year at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut.

Scholarships evaded Barkley throughout the recruiting process despite interest from Boston College, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple and of course, Penn State. Barkley camped for the Nittany Lions’ staff last summer and attended the White Out win over Michigan in the fall.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Barkley split carries and also missed time as a junior in 2018, but bounced back to run for 1,078 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Zephyrs, who went 0-10 last fall. He earned an invitation to the 2020 Big 33 Classic All-Star game, which has since been canceled. He was a Morning-Call All-Star as a senior.

Cheshire Academy has had success in getting prospects to the next level. Current Penn State safety CJ Holmes and former safety Malik Golden played for the Cats and the program’s Class of 2022 features top defensive end Wilfredo Aybar, who is the No. 27 overall prospect in the next cycle according to 247Sports. Aybar last visited Penn State in February and took in a game at Beaver Stadium in November. Former Michigan wide receiver Tarik Black, the top unsigned wide receiver currently in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is also a graduate.

Barkley was the last in program history to wear No. 21 for the Zephyrs, which was announced as retired in honor of his older brother in 2018. The younger Barkley scored three touchdowns and ran for 127 yards with his older brother in attendance in his season-opener back in August.

The older Barkley wrapped up a storied high school career at Whitehall in 2014, rushing for 3,646 yards and 63 touchdowns over three seasons. He was also a standout in track and field as a sprinter, high jumper and shot putter.

He was a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite and a Top100 recruit by 247Sports, which had him as the No. 6 running back nationally and the No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2015. Barkley went on to an All-American career for the Nittany Lions before being selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler in his first season.