After only two years at Auburn University, Peyton Barber knew he had to take a chance, push all his chips in and bet on himself. Barber had had a breakout season with the Tigers as a running back, but there was one problem.
"My mother is homeless right now," Barber told NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread in February. "Right now she's staying with her sister. It’s her and her three kids staying in an apartment back home.
“It's just a little bump in the road for us. We'll overcome it,” Barber said.
So after a 1,000-yard rushing season, the redshirt sophomore declared for the NFL draft, forgoing the rest of his college career. The situation, however, was starting to look bleak when Barber was not drafted. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to give the 22-year-old undrafted speedster a chance, and on Thursday the Bucs announced that Barber had earned a spot on the active 53-man roster, Bleacher Report notes.
It's unclear whether Barber will see any playing time during the regular season, but making the active squad will afford him a hefty paycheck and the opportunity to help his mother, which is all Barber wanted.
Read more at NFL.com and Bleacher Report.