Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Larry Tharpe Jr. has elected to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft pool.
"I believe that I am ready to move on to the next chapter in my life both on and off the field,” Tharpe tweeted Friday.
Next Chapter.. pic.twitter.com/CsKRFOihuh
— Rhonda's Son (@LarryTharpeJr) January 6, 2018
Tharpe, who joined Arizona as a walk-on in 2016 and showed flashes in two seasons as a part-time player, is unlikely to be drafted.
Tharpe is the son of Larry Tharpe, a former NFL offensive linemen. The younger Tharpe has good size at 6-5, 279, but couldn’t follow up on a promising finish to the ’16 season.
Tharpe had nine tackles and two pass breakups in Arizona’s final two games that year. But he couldn’t crack the starting lineup this past season. Rotating mainly at defensive end, Tharpe accumulated 13 tackles in 11 games.
Tharpe, who transferred to Arizona from Tyler (Texas) Junior College, would have been a redshirt senior next season.
