Early Signing Day: Barber Joins TCU; Sheread Will Play At Texas State
Sign Me Up
Thomas Bingham
21 December 2017
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
Cypress Springs’ 2018 senior class was expected to be a special one, and two of its members participated in football’s new early signing day. Receivers Taye Barber and Jah’marae Sheread confirmed their commitments to TCU and Texas State at their school’s ceremony on Wednesday.
There have been a lot of decommitments in recent days, but Barber and Sheread didn’t want to waste time. They had already found their home for the next four years.
“I felt like they could use me to my best abilities,” Barber said of TCU’s program. “I just can’t wait to get there, build the relationships with teammates, get dubs, and have fun with my team.”
“I fell in love with the school,” Sheread said of his official visit to Texas State. “It felt like home once I got there.”
Neither player experienced the football postseason while playing for Cy Springs, but they definitely left a legacy. They combined for 10,129 yards and 101 touchdowns during their varsity careers.
“These two kids never gave up,” said coach Rick Cobia. “The success we did have, they were a part of.”
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!