Spurrier weighs in on Lattimore’s return to the South Carolina Gamecocks
There was a lot of excitement last week when it was announced that Marcus Lattimore was returning to the South Carolina Gamecocks program.
Among those who expressed their enthusiasm about the former Gamecock great accepting a position as the director of player development was Lattimore’s former coach – Steve Spurrier.
Lattimore established himself as one of the best running backs in the SEC and all of college football playing for Spurrier. The HBC expects continued success for Lattimore in his new role on current Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp’s coaching staff.
“Wonderful move for South Carolina, for Will Muschamp, the university. Marcus he’s a special, wonderful person,” Spurrier, an ambassador for the University of Florida, said during a recent interview on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”
Lattimore was one of the most beloved players in USC history. He rushed for 2,677 yards and 41 touchdowns in his college career, playing for Spurrier from 2010-12.
Lattimore clearly made a greater impact on Spurrier than he did on opposing defenses, which is saying a lot.
“Well, Marcus, Marcus Lattimore and Danny Wuerffel – two of the best, nicest, best players, everything. Sincere Christian young men, just really want to help others in life,” Spurrier told Finebaum.
Lattimore’s career was cut short by a pair of knee injuries suffered at South Carolina. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but he never played. After retiring from football, he returned to USC and completed his degree.
Lattimore spent the past two years as a football coach at Heathwood Hall.
Lattimore’s new job will include include focusing on off-the-field activities of the student-athletes and serving as an important resource in balancing the demands of academics, athletics, community outreach, and their personal lives as they transition in and out of college athletics.
According to Spurrier, that should be an ideal role for Lattimore, who has kept his finger on the pulse of the community since retiring.
“Marcus does a lot of speaking and really wants to help young men and women to just become the best they can be,” said Spurrier, who has made it clear he has no plans of returning to the sidelines as a coach.
“Major college ball, these guys, they work 11 months of the year now,” Spurrier said in October. “It’s so different than it was, in the 90s, and even in the 2000s as far as the total amount of hours these guys work.”
Spurrier is USC’s winningest coach, he led the Gamecocks to three consecutive 11-win seasons and was 86-49 in 10 1/2 years at the school, quitting midway through the 2015 season.
Spurrier coached collegiality for 26 years at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, compiling a 228-89-2 record. He won the 1996 national championship as the Gators’ coach.
This story was originally published January 14, 2018 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Spurrier weighs in on Lattimore’s return to the South Carolina Gamecocks."