Oklahoma State defensive back commit Lardarius Webb Jr. ready to 'show the world I can play'
Scott WrightOklahoman
STILLWATER — Lardarius Webb Jr. hadn’t even finished his first of three recruiting visits and he was ready to commit.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defensive back from Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi, quickly fell in love with Oklahoma State.
But his pragmatic father — former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb Sr. — slowed his son down.
“When I walked in there, I knew,” Webb Jr. said. “I knew I was committing there.
“Oklahoma State was my place.”
Webb Jr. had received 30 scholarship offers after a strong sophomore season at Jones. He and his father had worked diligently to narrow that list to three schools — OSU, Michigan State and Kansas.
And Webb Sr. didn’t want any hasty decisions this deep into the process.
“My dad wanted me to go on some more visits and get a feel for it and be sure,” Webb Jr. said. “And still, I was stuck on Stillwater.”
Webb Jr. committed to the Cowboys a little more than a week ago, helping to solidify the position group hit hardest by transfer portal defections.
The OSU secondary has already lost starting cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and starting nickelback safety Thomas Harper, plus backup cornerback Demarco Jones and backup safety Kanion Williams. That accounts for one-third of the portal losses for OSU to this point.
Additionally, starting safeties Jason Taylor II and Sean Michael Flanagan are redshirt seniors who have not announced if they plan to return for their super-senior seasons next fall.
The Cowboys added an experienced cornerback in Arkansas State transfer Kenneth Harris on Sunday to help absorb the departures, and starting jobs will be up for grabs between newcomers and players already on the roster.
Webb Jr. felt the love from OSU coaches, from head man Mike Gundy to defensive coordinator Derek Mason and others from the moment they began recruiting him.
“I just love the staff,” he said. “It felt so much like at home.”
His father’s influence was important, however, because of his experience in the business of football. Webb Sr. played at Southern Mississippi and Nicholls State before being drafted by the Ravens and spending nine years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl alongside defenders like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Former OSU tight end Billy Bajema was also on the roster.
Webb Jr. put a lot of stock in his father’s advice.
“He really helped me look at things and see what was the truth and not the truth,” Webb Jr. said. “He could help me see what was in my best interest, but not just making me go off his choice, but coming to a decision that was best for me.”
Originally from Opalika, Alabama, Webb Jr. attended high school at Jackson (Mississippi) Academy. He was committed to Nebraska as part of the 2021 recruiting class, but his offer fell through a couple weeks before signing day.
So he landed at Jones and became an immediate starter. He had nine pass breakups and three interceptions as a freshman, then six interceptions and six pass breakups as a sophomore.
With two years of eligibility left, Webb Jr. is preparing for an opportunity to make an instant impact at OSU, ideally suited for the nickel safety spot vacated by Harper.
“I cover 50% of the world, and God cover the rest,” Webb Jr. said with a laugh. “But no, really, I can cover. God blessed me to be able to cover and run around with people. I can chase a man anywhere. I can tackle too, but my best skill is covering.
“You can put me anywhere and I’ll lock a guy down.”
Webb Jr. will be on campus in about three weeks and is set to take part in spring practice.
After missing out on his Division I opportunity out of high school, he viewed his two years at Jones as an opportunity to prove himself, and OSU is yet another chance to do that.
“I am who I said I was, and I had to prove it,” he said. “I’m lucky to have Oklahoma State and I want to make them feel lucky to have me. I just wanna show the world that I can play.”
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