Marcus Lattimore's Hype, Not Ego, Grows

Marcus Lattimore has never bought into the hype about himself.

He might be South Carolina's top college prospect and the No. 1 recruit in the nation, according to The Sporting News. Scout.com lists him as No. 2 nationally and Rivals.com lists him at No 4 for good measure. Lattimore also has received more than 30 scholarship offers and he enters his senior season at powerhouse James F. Byrnes High School as the program's all-time leading rusher.

Impressed? Not Lattimore, no sir.

"Marcus continues to work hard every day and he continues to be the same person," Byrnes head coach Chris Miller told FanHouse Tuesday. "He hasn't changed at all. Actually, he has become a better person. He takes everything in stride and does what he has to do with a smile on his face."

Lattimore and teammates have plenty to smile about, too.

The Rebels depart their hometown of Duncan, S.C., on Wednesday for Nike's 7-on-7 Passing Tournament in Beaverton, Ore. The two-day tourney, which also features teams from California, Texas, Georgia and Florida, is sponsored and paid by the hometown corporate giant.

Closer to home in South Carolina, Lattimore and teammates have enjoyed a productive summer.

Fifty-one of 52 players participating in strength and conditioning drills have met their obligations and will open preseason practice next month with their last names on their jerseys (program tradition), according to Miller. The Rebels will enter the season with incredible expectations. The program has won six of the last seven state titles with seven-year record of 97-5.

Overall, Byrnes has won nine state championships since 1976.

"We feel like we have a great nucleus returning," said Miller, 51, whose team has not lost a home game in seven seasons and opened last year ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today. "We have all of our skill players returning and even though we have to revamp our offensive line, we have a lot of kids with experience overall."

Lattimore, at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, headlines that experience.

Lattimore has narrowed has collegiate choices to eight: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State and South Carolina. While he doesn't list a favorite, four former prep teammates -- Willy Korn, Chad Diehl, Stanley Hunter and Xavier Dye -- play at Clemson. Lattimore plans to whittle his list to five by summer's end, visiting two teams this fall and three teams at the conclusion of his senior season. Lattimore hopes to make his decision prior to February's National Signing Day.

It's easy to see why Lattimore has developed into one of the nation's top prep players.

In last season's state title game (Class AAAA -Division I, South Carolina's top division) against Sumter at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, Lattimore scooted for 305 yards on 38 carries and rushed for four touchdowns in the 31-21 victory. On the game's second play, he got outside and ran 69 yards for a score. He added touchdown runs of 13, 50 and three yards in the second half as Byrnes finished with a 14-1 record.



"It's awesome knowing you have a guy like Marcus and you can keep giving the ball to him and he's going to make plays. It's nice knowing he's there," Byrnes quarterback Chas Dodd told The State (Columbia, S.C.) newspaper following the title game. Dodd, also a returning senior, has played on the same team as Lattimore since the fourth grade and lost only one game since then as starters.

Lattimore, who finished last season with a school-record 2,314 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns, carried the ball 76 times for 573 yards in the Rebels' final two playoff games. Miller says Lattimore, who boasts a nice combination of power and speed, reminds locals of former Clemson running back James Davis, a sixth-round selection of the Cleveland Browns in the 2009 draft.

"He is a do it all back that runs with a lot of power and grace," said Chad Simmons, a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "He is the number two prospect in the country and he has been on most radars since he was a freshman at Byrnes. Lattimore is ready to run the ball on the college level right now and he could play for a lot of BCS schools this fall if that was an option."

Lattimore credits his mother (Yolanda Smith) and stepfather (Vernon Smith) for helping him during the recruiting process and keeping him grounded. He also points to and thanks his teammates for helping him achieve his lofty recruiting ranking.

Miller, who played football at Newberry College in Newberry, S.C. -- his son is a kicker at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C, while his daughter plays soccer at Byrnes -- says Lattimore also has embraced his role as a team leader.

But that shouldn't come as a surprise to a player known just as much for his humility as his talents.

"Now is the time to improve," Lattimore told The State. "I am working really hard this summer. With workouts and passing camps and stuff, I mean, football is life now, and that's OK because I love it."