Staying ‘humble and faithful’ has motivated Chris Lammons long before he arrived on campus

Chris Lammons had an OK season. As a freshman cornerback in the harsh spotlight of the SEC, he had 19 tackles in nine games and started the past six.

He knew it would be rough. A quarterback/receiver/returner/defensive back in high school, Lammons was playing in the best league in the country, a nervous rookie against established veterans. Many would have blamed a struggling first year on those circumstances.

Lammons has never made excuses. Life dealt him a cruel hand early; rather than accept it as his lot, he rose. Don’t preach about battling and persevering on a football field to him when he’s had to come through so much already to get the chance to step on that football field.

“I had to keep my head up, stay humble and faithful,” Lammons said. “Just go through the process. I told myself that someone else always has it worse. I just keep living with it every day.”

Lammons lost both parents when he was 11 years old. His mother, Connie Smith, died from kidney failure two weeks after his father, Rufus, died from a brain aneurysm. He was raised by his sister, Charity Farley, with four children of her own, and she tried to keep Lammons pointed forward as best she could.

“You don’t have a mom or dad to ask them a question,” Lammons said. “My sister did both, did what mom and dad would do for a child.”

He found an outlet in football. He got past a couple of years following his parents’ deaths where he wasn’t interested in much and became a star at Plantation (Fla.) High School. Coach Steven Davis coaxed Lammons into playing quarterback after he started as a receiver, and the multi-talented athlete began making plays all over the field.

“He’s a heck of a kid, a captain and a leader for us,” Davis said. “He’s a real physical kid with real quick feet. I knew he would do well on either side of the ball.”

Like all do when first meeting Lammons, Davis saw a guarded, shy kid. His receivers coach, who had brought Lammons through Pop Warner ball, told him about Lammons’ past and Davis was stunned. How could a teenager dealing with that be so mature?

Because of that.

“He didn’t talk about it a whole heck of a lot,” Davis said. “He’s not withdrawn – once he gets to know you, he talks quite a bit. As we built our relationship, we got real close. Chris is real close to all the coaches, he looked up to all of us as father figures.”

Lammons picked South Carolina – crediting another father figure, coach Grady Brown – and ran into another hurdle. An academic issue had him in limbo, unable to report to school and go through summer workouts with the Gamecocks. He was cleared before preseason practice began and arrived to discover how far behind he was.

Yet, he was being counted on. The Gamecocks needed bodies in the secondary, and when fellow late enrollee Wesley Green asked to redshirt, that was one fewer. Lammons fought through an injury and early failures on the field to become a starter, and is expected to remain one as the Gamecocks head to the Independence Bowl.

Like in high school, many of his USC teammates didn’t know Lammons’ story. Once they found out, they also were amazed.

“I didn’t know about it. He keeps that to himself,” freshman Bryson Allen-Williams said. “He does a great job coming to the field, and when he gets between those lines, he lets it all go.

“I see why he goes as hard as he does – he’s doing it for them.”

Lammons will see some of his high school pals at the Independence Bowl – serendipity provided Miami, where many of them pledged, as USC’s opponent. His sister, as she has been throughout most of the season, will be in the stands. His teammates will be ready to praise him and pick him up.

His parents are, as always, in his heart.

This story was originally published December 22, 2014 at 9:42 PM.