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Jason Tarver leaves 49ers to become Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator

San Francisco 49ers Mini Camp

SANTA CLARA, CA - MAY 5: Rookie linebacker Manny Lawson #99 of the San Francisco 49ers listens to defensive assistant Jason Tarver as the Niners begin their mini-camp on May 5, 2006 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

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Jason Tarver has never coached outside California, having started his career at West Valley College in 1996. He spent the past three seasons as the 49ers’ senior defensive assistant.

Tarver, though, will move off the West Coast after taking the job as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Thursday. Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason and Tarver coached together at Stanford in 2011.

Tarver, 43, also has coached at UCLA (1998-2000), Stanford (2011) and with the Raiders (2012-14). But he spent most of his career with the 49ers.

In his first stint from 2001-2010, Tarver worked for Steve Mariucci, Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary. He returned in 2015, working on the staffs of Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly and Kyle Shanahan.