Tarver working to make up for lost time

Grove City (Ohio) Central Crossing safety Cameron Tarver missed all but two games of his junior season after breaking his collarbone. Not wanting to jeopardize his future, Central Crossing head coach Rick Vaughn held Tarver out the rest of the season, allowing him to come back 100 percent as a senior.

The missing season may have slowed Tarver's recruitment some, but it has not stopped it altogether. Several programs have been through the school intrigued by his potential, and a strong summer camp circuit as well as senior season should generate the proper recruiting attention.

"He was at tailback and at safety for us, so his potential is out of the roof," Coach Vaughn said. "A lot of schools are drooling over him. He's one of those kids who has a lot of upside and I think he's going to be a great player one day."

The 6-2, 205-pound Tarver has been timed as low as 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and he has his bench press max up to 285 after recovering from the injury. Some of the characteristics Coach Vaughn believes set Tarver apart, however, are those things that cannot be measured.

"He's got great vision and then he has a nice little burst to him," Coach Vaughn said. "Usually taller type kids kind of lumber when they run, but he's kind of smooth when he runs.

"He's a hard working kid in the weight room. Academically is where we kind of struggle with him, but he's a really good kid and has a great family. He got close to a 20 on his ACT, so he's right in there."

Eastern Michigan was the first school to come through and offer Tarver, but several other schools are waiting to see just a little more before pulling the trigger themselves on an offer.

"A lot of them want to see him at the one-day (camp) because he has limited tape. He did have some highlights is a short period of time, but I think they want to see him run and see what he is capable of," Coach Vaughn said. "Central Michigan said they were really high on him, Illinois said they were really high on him and then Purdue just came in. The coach told me they are very interested in Cam.

"Illinois really liked him. They want to play him at wide receiver. The thing about him is he can play a lot of positions. He could be a linebacker, a safety, slot receiver. I think he is a safety myself. He's kind of a lanky kid and he's got a good frame to put weight on."

Cincinnati is another program that is high on Tarver and has been through the school to evaluate him this spring.