Nebraska football coaches came into the 2024 recruiting cycle knowing they would be losing their top cornerback – 35-game starter Quinton Newsome – after the 2023 season.
They also knew their starters for the ensuing season would be upperclassmen. Tommi Hill will exhaust his eligibility after this season and Malcolm Hartzog is already entering his third year in the program having already logged 18 starts during his first two years on campus.
The defensive coaches need to start getting that second wave of guys ready to take over in 2025. The staff likes youngsters Ethan Nation and Dwight Bootle II, but they came into this class wanting to add competition to the room.
Miami Gardens (Fla.) Norland High School cornerback Larry Tarver Jr., whose brother, Johnquai Lewis, is a senior DB at McNeese State, has been one of the better cornerbacks in the Miami area over the last couple years. He gained notice in south Florida playing with Defcon 1, one of the premier 7-v-7 teams in the country.
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He received his first offer from Eastern Illinois in the summer ahead of his sophomore season. The hometown Hurricanes, coached by Manny Diaz at the time, became his first Power Five offer soon after in September 2021, although communication with the program tapered off after Mario Cristobal replaced Diaz following the 2021 season. Size is the most likely culprit with Cristobal prioritizing length in the secondary.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Tarver stayed in contact with Power Five programs in the ACC and SEC footprint, but through last spring had only received additional offers from Group of Five programs Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina and Western Michigan.
Tarver originally committed to Florida International on April 23, following an unofficial visit during the spring. However, that didn’t stop other schools from taking notice of the standout defensive back while touring the area during the May evaluation period.
It was during that month when Texas A&M and Maryland came through with offers, with Louisville joining the mix in mid-June.
Tarver set up official visits to check out the Aggies and Terrapins, and after touring College Station (June 9-11) and College Park (June 23-25), decided to decommit from FIU and flip his commitment to Maryland on June 27.
He eventually got on Nebraska’s radar after coaches watched the first half a season of Tarver’s senior film. Former Husker staffer Phil Simpson – a former high school coach in the South Beach area for eight years – was down in his old stomping grounds recruiting during Nebraska’s bye week in mid-October and offered Tarver in-person after checking him out at Norland.
Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper soon joined the recruitment and made a huge impression on Tarver and his family. Over the next two weeks, not only were Husker coaches showing Tarver he was a priority, they were giving him more attention than Maryland coaches were at the time, which prompted him to want to visit Lincoln to see if there was more to the relationship.
Tarver was in town for Nebraska’s game against Purdue on Oct. 28, and came away impressed by the direction of the program and the staff. He spent time around Dwight Bootle II, a fellow Miami native he already knew. He was also being peer recruited by 2024 commits Jacory Barney Jr. and Willis McGahee IV, who he also knew from the Miami area.
He left Lincoln saying he was still committed to the Terps, but that he would make his final decision on signing day between Maryland and Nebraska.
Husker coaches maintained regular contact with Tarver over the next several weeks, with Evan Cooper, head coach Matt Rhule and Phil Simpson reaching out daily. He returned to College Park on Nov. 4 to watch Maryland get blasted by Penn State 51-15.
Both schools pushed hard as the early signing period drew near, but Tarver felt a pull toward Nebraska. He liked defensive coordinator Tony White’s defense and what his role would be better than with Maryland, and after visiting both schools had felt Rhule’s program fit him better.
He made up his mind for the Huskers a week before signing day and used that time to peer recruit late-cycle target Vincent Shavers Jr. – another Miami-area prospect. Tarver signed with the Huskers on Dec. 20, going public with his decision during a live feed from his Instagram account.
Tarver has spent time at a few different high schools and has always been one of the best players on his team. He spent his first two years at Miami (Fla.) Carol City and finished with 20 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups as a sophomore.
He was named second-team all-county as a junior playing at Miami Gardens (Fla.) TRU Prep, where he amassed 30 tackles, seven interceptions (three returned for TDs) and six pass breakups, while also spending time at receiver and returning kicks and punts.
Tarver transferred to Norland as a senior and helped lead the Vikings to a Class 2M state runner-up finish. He was named all-district after finishing with 41 tackles, two sacks and five interceptions.
He was also a standout on the track. He finished eighth in the 100 meters at the 2023 Florida 2A state meet and owns a PR of 10.65 seconds. He was also the district champion in the 200 meters with a PR of 21.55 seconds. Tarver also runs the 400 meters (PR 51.60 seconds) and is part of the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays. He helped his team to a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relays at the 2023 Florida 2A state meet.
Tarver fits the mold of what the Nebraska staff covets on the recruiting trail. He’s a high-end track sprinter with good instincts and outstanding ball skills with the skill set to play a couple different spots in Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense.
He could play field corner or line up as an inside corner – which is where he primarily played at Norland. I think that’s where his ceiling could be the highest. As a nickelback, he can best be used covering slot receivers where his short-area quickness and change of direction would serve him well.
Tarver, a Rivals four-star recruit, enrolled early and is taking part in winter conditioning and will participate in spring practices. He comes to Lincoln with a similar build to 2023 additions Ethan Nation and Dwight Bootle II, and will benefit from the extra time spent around Corey Campbell, Kristin Coggin and the rest of Nebraska’s strength and nutrition staff.
If he can get his body ready for the rigors of the Big Ten, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him competing with Nation and Bootle, as well as fellow classmate Mario Buford, for an immediate role in the secondary.
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