Larry Asante 

Linebacker (2005-06)

 

Larry Asante was born in Ghana & moved to the United States when he was 8 years old. He started playing football in the 9th grade and fell in love with the sport. As a prepster, Asante starred on both sides of the ball. He earned all-league honors as a running back in the AAA Patriot Division. In 2004, he graduated from Hayfield High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

Asante played linebacker for Coffeyville CC, using his speed and ball-hawking abilities to register 76 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three blocked kicks and an interception as a redshirt freshman in 2006. His performance netted Asante All-Jayhawk League honors, and honorable-mention All-American honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association. Asante was ranked among the top 10 overall junior college prospects in the nation by Rivals.com.  

 

In 2007 Asante arrived at Nebraska in time for spring practice and made the transition to safety after playing linebacker at Coffeyville. Asante won the starting strong safety job during spring ball and made 78 tackles on the season, including 40 solo stops.  Larry Asante finished his Nebraska career in strong fashion in 2009, helping the Cornhuskers feature one of the nation’s top defenses. His play earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches. Asante finished his senior season with 79 tackles, including 42 solo stops. His tackle numbers as a senior pushed his total to 224 career stops, the third-most in school history among defensive backs.

 

Larry was drafted into the NFL by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round (160th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. Over the next six years, Larry played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts & Oakland Raiders.

 

Larry currently owns a Wellness Center in Atlanta, GA and is a real estate developer in Ghana. He is married to Sharrita and they have two children Larry Jr., & Ziyah.