 |
| Texans CB Kamari Lassiter |
On Friday, Dec. 19, the journey begins for 12 teams hoping to be the last one standing on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and to be named College Football National Champions in the FBS (Division I).
The College Football Playoff (CFP) was established in 2014 by the NCAA to adopt a tournament-style format similar to the NFL. It was expanded from four teams to 12 in 2023 and will add at least two more teams in 2026.
It will be an exciting journey for those young men seeking their opportunity to play at the next level, as some current Houston Texans who have played in the CFP can attest, offering advice on how to approach the games and enjoy the moment.
The 2022 semifinal game against Georgia was where the world got to see more of the talents of former Ohio State University and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on display as he finished with 348 yards passing and four touchdowns in the heartbreaking 42-41 loss to the Bulldogs.
 |
| Texans QB C.J. Stroud Photo Credit- Dave Petkiewicz |
“Trust your instincts, preparation, and training,” said Stroud about the approach to the game. “To people on the outside, it is going to be big, but internally, it is the same game you have played all year. Try to find some comfortability and know that it is still football at the end of the day.”
Texans edge rusher and former University of Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. knows what it is like to go through a pressure-packed playoff run, having won a National Championship in 2021 and coming up short in the same game in 2022.
“Enjoy this,” Anderson responded when asked by Big Sarge Media about the advice to college players. “There is nothing like being in the College Football Playoffs. It is a big opportunity, really take advantage of it and have fun with it.”
 |
| Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. |
Linebacker Henry To’o To’o got to experience what it was like to play against the upper echelon of talent in the playoffs when he transferred from the University of Tennessee to Alabama to play alongside Anderson, as he currently does with the Texans.
“You know the level of football that is played at that level,” said To’o To’o. “It is the best of the best in college, so being able to have that opportunity was definitely huge and honestly prepped me for this (NFL). I felt like playing in the CFP was a huge testament to what the NFL is like and the kind of talent that is in the NFL.”
 |
| Texans LB Henry To'o To'o |
If you have watched the Texans play over the last two seasons, you have witnessed the intensity with which cornerback Kamari Lassiter plays on every play that he is on the field. His signature “Head Slap” celebration, which he does after every big play, has become a staple of his game and has even rubbed off on teammates such as veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Yet, if you watched Lassiter during his time at the University of Georgia, nothing he does should come as a surprise, as he was a vital part of the Bulldogs securing back-to-back National Championships.
“Don’t try to do too much,” said Lassiter about the advice he would give to players this week and the advice he took himself as he approached the games. “The same fundamentals and the same details that got these guys to this point are the same fundamentals that are going to win them a championship. It just takes another level of focus.”
Although players like Stroud, Anderson, and To’o To’o are his teammates now, Lassiter competed against them and others, such as defensive end Dylan Horton (TCU), linebacker Christian Harris (Alabama), and tight end Cade Stover (Ohio State), and never lost a game to either of them in the CFP.
That is something he takes pride in from his college playing days.
“C.J. Stroud,” was the answer Lassiter gave when he reminisced about the player he remembered most from the CFP. “That was a fun game. That was probably the most fun game I have been a part of.”