- published: 30 Apr 2016
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Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American football cornerback who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Talib was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas and lettered in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he was named the Berkner High School's Defensive Back of the Year while garnering first-team all-district and first-team all-city honors. As a college football prospect during his senior year, he was rated 2 stars by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Kansas, Kansas State, Wyoming, Tulsa, Arizona, and Baylor. He chose to sign a National Letter of Intent to play for Kansas.
After redshirting in his first year at Kansas, Talib contributed substantially to a strong Jayhawk defense. Playing alongside future NFL cornerback Charles Gordon, Talib played in 11 games, starting nine. He recorded two interceptions and led the team by breaking up eight passes. He helped Kansas achieve a 7–5 record, including a 42–13 victory against Houston in the Fort Worth Bowl. For his efforts, Talib was named all-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the conference coaches, the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a freshman all-American by Rivals.com.