3-Star ATH Taye Barber dishes on recent Sun Devils, Badgers offers
Cypress, Texas, do-it-all athlete Taye Barber has become one of the state's most closely watched prospects as he gears up for Cypress Springs’ spring football game this week.
Barber was part of the latest group of recruits offered by Wisconsin over the last couple of weeks and Arizona State also threw its name into his recruitment hat. Add those programs to teams like Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia as programs with offenses that he could thrive in at the next level, and he appears to have some tough decisions to make before too long.
Even though the Sun Devils have offered him as a defensive back, the Badgers have told him that they have a role for him on either side of the ball should he choose to commit. Barber is penciled in as a defensive back for his high school team this upcoming fall, but he’s shown throughout this spring how explosive he is as an offensive weapon.
IN HIS WORDS
On Arizona State
“Trelon Smith is going there from Cy-Ridge and he tells me about it all the time,” he said. “He tells me that it’s fun, so I just want to go out there and check it out, see how it is.”
On his relationship with associate head coach Shawn Slocum
“That’s started just recently,” he said. “He came out to our school recently and came back and offered me. I am going to summer school, but I just have to find some time to get out there.”
On TCU
“They’re graduating six wide receivers, so they told me that I’m going to play early – like real early,” he said. “I’m graduating in December so I’m looking to make an instant impact. They just have to stay true to what they’re telling me.”
RIVALS REACTION
Even though it appears as though he has more opportunity to play with Wisconsin, the Badgers likely have to work hard if they are going to be able to sell him on a future in Madison. Barber holds Big Ten offers from Indiana and Minnesota as well, although they haven’t been major players in the conversation about his recruitment. Barber appears to be trending towards an early summer commitment, but if the Badgers choose to make him a top priority, he has a little bit of advice.
“I just need to build a relationship and try and make it out there and see how it is,” he said. “Style of play and stuff doesn’t really matter to me as long as I get the ball.”