Aqib Talib

Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. Talib also played for the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Rams, winning Super Bowl 50 with Denver. In 2020, he made his debut as an analyst for the NFL on Fox.

Aqib Talib was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents Theodore Henry and Okolo Talib in a Muslim household. Talib is the youngest of four siblings; he has two older sisters, Saran and Kai, and an older brother, Yaqub. As the youngest of four children, he was named Aqib which means "the last one" in Arabic. His last name, Talib, means "student." Aqib's parents divorced when he was young, and he spent much of his childhood between Ohio and New Jersey. When Talib was in the eighth grade, his mother moved to Richardson, Texas, with him and his older brother.

Talib attended Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas, and lettered in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he was named Berkner High School's Defensive Back of the Year while garnering first-team all-district and first-team all-city honors. In track & field, he was a member of the 4 × 100m (43.05) and 4 × 200m (1:32.77) relay squads.

As a college football prospect during his senior year, Talib was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was recruited by Kansas, Wyoming, Tulsa, Arizona, Kansas State, and Baylor. He chose to sign a National Letter of Intent to play for Kansas.

Talib attended the University of Kansas, where he played for the Kansas Jayhawks football team from 2004 to 2007.

Talib established himself as one of the best defensive college football players in the country as a junior in 2007, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He also continued to play sparingly as a wide receiver, catching four touchdown passes through the first nine games. Against rival Kansas State, Talib preserved a victory by intercepting a Josh Freeman pass in the final moments of the game. He also returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown against Florida International.

In the 2008 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech, Talib returned an interception for a touchdown thrown by Tyrod Taylor and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. He announced on January 6, 2008, that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Talib was added to the Kansas Ring of Honor in 2017 along with his Orange Bowl Championship teammate Anthony Collins.