Banished from Southern Mississippi, Lardarius Webb landed at a small school in the bayous of south Louisiana, regretting his blown opportunity at college football’s highest level and the lousy example he’d set for his young son. “I don’t want to raise him trying to tell him what’s right and wrong if I didn’t do right,” Webb said of Lardarius Jr., who’s now 6 and lives with his mother in Alabama. “He’s my No. 1 fan. He really looks up to me, so I just want to show him the right way of living.”
The 23-year-old Webb could become a role model for countless more if his name is called, as expected, during this weekend’s NFL draft.
After two seasons at Nicholls State, Webb’s resume shows he’s the first player in NCAA history to win a conference’s defensive, offensive and special teams player of the week honors in the same season. He also is a two-time All-America selection at safety in the Football Championship Subdivision.
“He got a second opportunity with us and—heck, man—he took it and ran with it,” said Nicholls coach Jay Thomas, who gave Webb his second chance after Southern Miss dismissed him for violating team rules.Webb even gained coaching experience, volunteering to oversee Nicholls’ defensive backs when a temporary hiring freeze at the school—due to the recession’s effect on the state budget—left Thomas short-staffed for recent spring practices.
“I knew the defensive backs needed some help,” Webb said. “Not that I’m the best coach ever, but I do have things I could tell them about—everything I’ve been through to get where I’m at now. … It was a good opportunity— something I can put on my resume.”
Webb said scouts told him he could be drafted between the second and fourth rounds. Although he played safety at Nicholls, he expects to be drafted as a cornerback. His 4.46 in the 40-yard dash tied for the top time among cornerbacks at the NFL’s scouting combine last February.
Last week, he was in New York to meet with the Giants. His other NFL visits included Baltimore, Tennessee and Tampa Bay.
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