Lattimore leaving Gamecocks role. USC QB great Connor Shaw will replace him
When Marcus Lattimore joined South Carolina’s football program in an off-field role, it came with much fanfare.
But now, Lattimore is moving on. And taking his place will be another Gamecock great.
Lattimore, who ranks fifth on the program’s rushing list and had an outsized impact on the program, will be leaving the role of director of player development and replaced by former Gamecock QB Connor Shaw, The State confirmed Friday morning. USC announced the move Monday and will introduce Shaw in his new role at a news conference Wednesday.
Lattimore held the USC role since January 2018. He led the school’s Beyond Football program under Will Muschamp, which aimed to prepare players for life after their playing days.
Shaw is South Carolina’s all-time winningest quarterback. He was most recently working for Columbia-based benefits company Colonial Life as a sales representative and was working to open a quarterback training facility in Greenville.
It brings to an end a short stint for Lattimore, which followed a short run coaching football at Heathwood Hall. He had run a foundation that focused on youth development and Christian values.
Lattimore first came to Columbia as one of the most decorated high school players in the history of the state out of Byrnes. He started as a freshman, putting up the third-most yards in school history, leading the team to their only SEC East title in 2010.
The next two years showed promise, but each ended with knee injuries, the second so devastating it put his future in doubt. He was taken in the fourth round of the NCAA draft, but never managed to make it on the field in two seasons on the roster.
He’s often showed a range of interests well beyond football.
Shaw won 27 games at South Carolina from 2010-2013. He’s also the school’s career leader in completion percentage (65.5 percent), second in career passing touchdowns (56) and fourth in career passing yards (6,074). He’s the 22nd all-time leading rusher in school history with 1,683 yards on the ground.
He spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with Cleveland Browns, starting one game in his NFL career but missed the 2015 season due to a thumb injury. He was signed by the Chicago Bears in 2016 but missed that season due to a broken leg and was waived by the Bears in May of 2017.
After leaving the NFL, Shaw joined the Furman Paladins coaching staff as tight ends coach but left after spring practice in 2017.
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 10:06 AM.
