 Tarwater was born March 24, 1984 to Dwight and Mary Tarwater in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in Knoxville, where his father worked as a lawyer. He is the oldest of three children. His grandfather, Richmond Flowers, Sr., was Attorney General of Alabama from 1963 to 1967. Tarwater's uncle, Richmond Flowers, Jr., was a world champion at the 110-meter hurdles and a safety in the National Football League from 1969 to 1973.
