Marcus Lattimore (born October 29, 1991) is an American former professional

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player who was a

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for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

of the

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(NFL). He played

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for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

, where he holds the career record for rushing

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s (38). He rushed for 1,197 yards as a starter during his freshman year, earning

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. His sophomore and junior years were truncated by severe knee injuries. He opted to forgo his senior year and was selected by San Francisco in the fourth round of the

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. He never played a game for the 49ers and retired from playing football at the age of 23. In 2016, he was named head football coach at Heathwood Hall prep school in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. He served as the Director of Player Development for the

from 2018 to 2019.

Early life

Lattimore was born in

Duncan, South Carolina Duncan is a town in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. Its population was 3,181 at the 2010 census. History In 1811, a post office was established on what is now S.C. Highway 290. A tiny settlement sprung up around it, and both ...

. He attended Florence Chapel Middle School and James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, and played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

for the Byrnes Rebels. One of the most decorated players in South Carolina high school football history, Lattimore was ''

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'' National High School Junior Football Player of the Year in 2008. In his senior year, he earned ''

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'' high school All-American honors, was named South Carolina's Mr. Football, and played in the 2010

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...

. He chose South Carolina over Auburn on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

College career

Lattimore enrolled in the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, where he played for coach

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nicknam ...

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern ...

team from 2010 to 2012. A highly sought-after college recruit, he made an immediate impact for the Gamecocks as a freshman.

2010

On September 11, 2010, in just his second career college football game, Lattimore broke 42 tackles on 37 carries, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns against the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. On October 9, 2010, against the then #1 ranked

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, Lattimore had 23 carries for 93 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and caught one receiving touchdown from quarterback Stephen Garcia. On October 16, 2010, Lattimore scored two touchdowns in a road loss to the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

before missing the rest of the game with an ankle injury. On October 30, 2010, against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

, Lattimore had 29 carries for 184 yards and one rushing touchdown. On November 13, 2010, against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

in Gainesville, Lattimore had 40 carries for 212 yards and three rushing touchdowns, to defeat the Gators and clinch the SEC East for the Gamecocks. On December 4, 2010, in the 2010 SEC Championship Game, Lattimore had 16 carries for 84 yards for the Gamecocks in the 56–17 loss to the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

. In December 2010, Lattimore was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year, headlining the All-Freshman Team, by ''

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''. On December 31, 2010, in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl, Lattimore had one carry that went for a one-yard loss and caught three passes for 48 yards, before sustaining a concussion in the first quarter on a pass reception in which he lost a fumble in a 26–17 loss to

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

2011

South Carolina began their 2011 season at the

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in Charlotte on September 3, 2011, against East Carolina. He rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries and added three touchdowns as the Gamecocks battled back to win 56–37. Lattimore also caught three passes for 33 yards. The Gamecocks traveled to

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on September 10 to play SEC East rivals

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. Lattimore carried the ball on 27 occasions for 176 yards and one touchdown. South Carolina then played a home game against the Naval Academy, and in a 24–21 game Lattimore ran 246 yards, and also scored three touchdowns in the game. The following weekend, South Carolina played host to SEC East foe Vanderbilt. Lattimore had his first sub-100-yard rushing game of the season, running for just 77 yards on 20 carries but was able to add a 22-yard touchdown. He also caught three passes for 73 yards, scoring on a 52-yard reception, leading his team to a 21–3 win and a 4–0 start. He tore a knee ligament on October 15 against the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

and it was announced that Lattimore would miss the remainder of the 2011 season due to the injury.

2012

In Lattimore's first game back following his knee ligament injury, he rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries as the Gamecocks topped Vanderbilt, 17–13. In the Gamecocks' 49–6 victory over UAB on September 15, Lattimore rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown, his 34th touchdown at South Carolina, surpassing George Rogers's school record of 33 career touchdowns. Lattimore turned in his best performance of the season against the

, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–17 win on September 29. On October 6, the Gamecocks played host to the

in a top ten showdown for which ESPN College Gameday was in town. Lattimore ran for 109 yards and a score as the Gamecocks crushed No. 5 Georgia, 35–7, and posted two school records, three straight wins over Georgia and ten straight victories in all. On October 27, Lattimore suffered a major injury to his right knee during a game against the

. South Carolina football head coach

stated that Lattimore had dislocated his right knee and torn every ligament, while also suffering nerve damage. Lattimore's knee was surgically repaired by Dr. James Andrews. On December 10, Lattimore declared himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft.

College statistics

College awards and honors

* Second-team All-SEC (2011) * First-team All-SEC (2010) * Second-team

(2010) * '' SN'' Freshman of the Year (2010) * SEC Freshman of the Year (2010)

Professional career

On December 12, 2012, Lattimore confirmed in a press conference that he would enter the

. On April 27, 2013, he was selected in the fourth round, with the 131st overall pick, by the

. On May 31, the 49ers signed Lattimore to a 4-year deal worth $2,460,584 including a signing bonus of $300,584. On August 27, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On November 5, 2014, Lattimore announced his retirement from the NFL.

Coaching career

In mid-December 2015, Lattimore announced that he would join the staff of newly appointed

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

head coach

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is a defensive analyst at the University of Georgia. He previously served as the Bulldogs' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2022 ...

. Lattimore would not be a coach, but would talk to the players about life off the field, similar to his work at his leadership academies through his foundation. However, in April 2016, the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

indicated that the university would gain an unfair recruiting advantage by hiring Lattimore, due to his work with high school kids through his foundation. Lattimore indicated that the NCAA ruling was fair, and that he would not be joining South Carolina's staff. On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Lattimore would be joining the football staff at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in

. Lattimore was named head football coach at Heathwood on November 14, 2016. On January 11, 2018, it was announced that Lattimore would be joining Will Muschamp's coaching staff at South Carolina as Director of Player Development. He left this position on January 10, 2020. As of summer 2020, Lattimore serves as running backs coach at

Lewis and Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adja ...

Personal life

On December 19, 2015, Lattimore married his high school sweetheart Miranda Bailey. He is a Christian.

References

External links

*
South Carolina Gamecocks bio

San Francisco 49ers profile

ESPN statsThe rise, and fall, and rise again of Marcus Lattimore
ESPN, May 17, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lattimore, Marcus 1991 births Living people American football running backs South Carolina Gamecocks football players San Francisco 49ers players People from Duncan, South Carolina Players of American football from Spartanburg County, South Carolina Coaches of American football from South Carolina High school football coaches in South Carolina South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches Lewis & Clark Pioneers football coaches