Marcus Lattimore ranks 3rd in 107.5 The Game's Top 30 Gamecocks
In honor of the 30th South Carolina football season in the SEC, 107.5 The Game ranked the top 30 players in program history. Former running back Marcus Lattimore came in at No. 3 on the list, one spot ahead of his quarterback, Connor Shaw.
While playing football at Byrnes High School, Lattimore became a sought-after talent. During his career, the five-star prospect rushed for 6,375 yards and 104 touchdowns. As a senior in 2010, he earned high school All-American honors and was named South Carolina’s Mr. Football. On National Signing Day, he chose to play his college football at South Carolina as opposed to Auburn.
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Soon after arriving on campus, Lattimore made an immediate impact for the Gamecocks in 2010. In his second career game, he ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the Georgia Bulldogs. Less than a month later, South Carolina shocked the country and upset No. 1 Alabama, due in large part to Lattimore’s play.
On 23 carries, he rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a touchdown pass from Stephen Garcia. His best statistical game of that season came against Florida on Nov. 13. With a trip to the SEC Championship game on the line, he ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns, as the Gamecocks won 36-14.
While South Carolina lost badly to Auburn in the SEC Championship, Lattimore was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year. On New Year’s Eve in the Chick-Fil-A bowl, he had one carry for a one-yard loss and caught three passes for 48 yards. In the first quarter of that game, he sustained a concussion, which became the first of many injuries for him.
Back to full strength, Lattimore returned to his old self and ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns against East Carolina on Sept. 3, 2011. The following week, he rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown in a 45-42 victory over Georgia. His fantastic start to the season culminated in a 246-yard performance against Navy on Sept. 17. After back-to-back weeks with under 100 rushing yards, Lattimore tore a ligament in his knee, putting an end to his sophomore season.
In his first game back from injury in 2012, Lattimore rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening win over Vanderbilt. On Sept. 15 against the UAB Blazers, he broke George Rogers’ school record of 33 touchdowns.
His best game of the year came against Kentucky, where he rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-17 victory.
On Oct. 27, Lattimore suffered a right knee injury against the Tennessee Volunteers. After the game, head coach Steve Spurrier announced that Lattimore had dislocated his right knee and tore every ligament, and suffered nerve damage as well. For the second straight year, his season ended earlier than anticipated.
Despite his injury history, Lattimore declared for the NFL Draft following the end of South Carolina’s season. In three years with the Gamecocks, he ran for 2,677 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also caught 74 passes for 767 yards and three touchdowns.
In the 2013 NFL Draft, Lattimore was selected with the 131st overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers. However, injuries became too much for him and he chose to retire from football in 2014.
With his professional career over at 23-years-old, Lattimore returned to college football to find work. In 2015, he joined new head coach Will Muschamp’s staff as a player consultant. In this position, he would talk to players about life off the field. However, the NCAA believed this to be an unfair recruiting advantage, as Lattimore worked with high school players through the Marcus Lattimore Foundation. As a result, he chose to not join South Carolina’s staff and explored other options.
In May 2016, Lattimore joined Heathwood Hall Episcopal School’s football staff and became the team’s head coach later that year. On Jan. 11, 2018, he rejoined Muschamp’s coaching staff as the Director of Player Development. Two years later, he stepped away from the program and found himself serving as running backs coach at Lewis and Clark College.
Despite seeing his football career hindered by injuries, Lattimore remains one of the most decorated players to ever suit up for the Gamecocks.
