Recruiting: Marcus Lattimore Update

-by John Blackwell, PRISM Press Group

On October 2, 2009 in Fort Lauderdale Florida, Marcus Lattimore and his Byrnes High School Rebels teammates stepped onto the field to take on St. Thomas Aquinas in what was billed as a matchup of the No. 1 and No. 2 high school football teams in the nation in front of a packed Lockhart Stadium and a national ESPNU television audience. 

What happened that evening didn’t leave anyone disappointed, except perhaps the No. 3 player in the Athlon Consensus 100. In speaking with Lattimore prior to the Rebels’ match-up with Spartanburg High School on October 9th, he talked about his performance against Aquinas, the first words out of his mouth were “we didn’t win.” 

That’s the kind of kid Lattimore is. On a night that saw him gain 118 yards on 23 carries but lose three fumbles, he said he played well against tough competition, but was still upset he’d left the ball on the ground. Lattimore also showed his abilities as a receiver against Aquinas, catching eight passes for 94 yards — giving him 212 total yards against the premier high school defense in the country. 

Lattimore is a strong runner who makes quick cuts and seems to always have his shoulders square. When asked which NFL back he most resembled, the youngster mentioned Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings and Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears, both whom share a similar six-foot, 214 pound frame as does Lattimore.

Against Spartanburg, the Rebels’ quarterback Chas Dodd (bound for Rutgers next year) threw for 307 yards, so it didn’t appear as if Lattimore was piling up the yards.  Still, for the evening, he tallied 109 yards on 11 carries - typical Marcus Lattimore.  On the season he now has 837 yards rushing on 113 carries and 298 yards receiving on 25 catches to go along with 16 touchdowns (14 rushing, 2 receiving) through seven games.

Receiving is a big part of his game also, as Marcus stated that “hands are an important asset” for a back to have.

“It makes you more versatile, and being able to block, catch, and run is what you need to do to be successful at the next level,” the AC100 prospect added.

When the subject turned to recruiting, Lattimore mentioned he has narrowed his list of schools down to a handful, including Auburn, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Official visits are coming up at Auburn and Penn State, October 31th and November 6th respectively, and a trip to Oregon after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl January 9th in San Antonio, Texas. Lattimore also stated that how a team uses their backs, who the coaches are, and the running back depth chart will serve as big factors is his decision.  When pressed on the possibilities of Penn State, he told me that they “aren’t about one player, it’s about the team, and that they have a tradition.”

That is what has drawn him there. Playing in Duncan, S.C., its easy to see why that tradition would be such an intriguing draw. After all, the Byrnes High School Rebels have an amazing tradition of their own, as they continue to march toward a third straight — and tenth overall — South Carolina state title.

Oh yeah, one last thing.  When asked when we would all know about his college choice, Lattimore said it would be on “Signing Day.” It appears there will be five very anxious universities, coaching staffs and fan bases until the first Wednesday in Febuary.
 

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