Quick Facts
Cancer
Biography
Tyler Larsen (born July 8, 1991) is an American football center for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
High school
Larsen attended Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, where he played both offensive and defensive line. He earned first-team all-state and second-team all-region honors after recording 27 tackles, including six sacks as well as six fumble recoveries with four going for touchdowns as a senior. He helped lead the Beetdiggers to the state playoffs all four seasons, finishing career with 96 tackles, 16 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries, including four touchdowns.
He was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
College career
Larsen attended Utah State University and played for the Aggies from 2009 to 2013. As a freshman, he played in the first two games of the season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury and was awarded a medical redshirt season. Returning in 2010, Larsen would go on to start 52 consecutive games at center for the Aggies, earning himself first-team All-WAC honors twice (2011, 2012) and first-team All-MWC in his final season. Larsen also made the watch lists for each the Rimington Trophy and the Outland Trophy his final 2 years (2012, 2013), and was nominated as a finalist for the Rimington Trophy in 2013.
Professional career
A three-time all-conference selection, Larsen was regarded as one of the best interior lineman prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft. Initially he was projected a fifth-to-sixth-round selection.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 313 lb (142 kg) | 31 ⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 9 ⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.70 s | 8.22 s | 23 ⁄2 in (0.60 m) | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) | 36 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Miami Dolphins
Larsen signed with the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in 2014. He was released on August 26, 2014.
Washington Redskins
On February 10, 2015, Larsen signed with the Washington Redskins. He was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the regular season on September 5.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers signed Larsen to a futures contract on January 12, 2016. He was released on October 8, 2016 and re-signed to the practice squad on October 11. He was promoted back to the active roster on November 4, 2016. On November 4, 2016, Larsen had his first career start at center against the Seattle Seahawks after Ryan Kalil and Gino Gradkowski both suffered injuries. He finished the 2016 season as the Panthers' starting center.
In 2017, Larsen played in 14 games with 10 starts at center in place of the injured Ryan Kalil.
On August 8, 2018, Larsen signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers through the 2020 season.
Personal
His brother, Cody Larsen, also played in the National Football League. He is married to Samantha Larsen. The couple has three children.
