College Football Playoff 2023: Cy-Springs alum Taye Barber talks about his role in TCU's title hopes

GLENDALE, Arizona (KTRK) -- For the first time in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, a team from Texas is included.

"It means a lot to us," TCU receiver Taye Barber said during a Zoom interview with ABC13. "I know we're the first team to make it out of Texas, but we came here to win. So that's what I focus on."

In the Big 12 Conference preseason poll published in July, TCU was picked to finish seventh in the 10-team league. The Horned Frogs, who are guided by first-year head coach Sonny Dykes, are now ranked No. 3 in the nation and two wins away from the program's first national title since 1938. On Saturday, TCU faces Michigan in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Barber, a former standout at Cypress Springs High School, is TCU's active career leader in catches and receiving yards. In his four years in Fort Worth, he's endured a pair of losing seasons and a coaching change.

SEE ALSO: TCU head football says it means a lot to him coaching 1st College Football Playoff team from Texas

"Without the journey, it wouldn't mean as much when you finally get here," Barber explained. "So just having those up and down years, I feel like we were a couple of small wins away from being what we are today, but this year, we finally put it all together. We all believe in each other. We love each other."

And Barber knows about love.

This year's dream season is special for Taye not only because TCU is making history, but also because his son Elijah celebrated his first birthday Wednesday.

"He's my why," Taye said of his son. "He's the reason I am who I am today. He's helped me grow in the past year."

Barber, who chose to play at TCU over scholarship offers from schools like Clemson, Oklahoma State and Stanford, already earned his degree.

"I just say to the young kids: stay in school, make good choices, hang around the right crowd, and just stay tuned in," Barber shared. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

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