Gamecocks great Marcus Lattimore reveals he once committed to Clemson
Marcus Lattimore is a Gamecocks football legend.
He was also, at one point, verbally committed to Clemson.
Yes, you read that correctly: Lattimore, South Carolina’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns and one of the most recognizable stars of the Steve Spurrier era, was once committed to the Gamecocks’ bitter in-state rival.
Lattimore, who’s now living in Portland and practicing spoken word poetry, revealed that surprising detail during an appearance on “The Clemson Dubcast” with Larry Williams. Lattimore said it was the first time he’d told the story publicly.
“I told Jeff I was coming,” Lattimore said, referring to former Clemson assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott. “I silently committed to Clemson.”
Lattimore, a top 10 national recruit in the Class of 2009 from Byrnes High School, said specific details are fuzzy. He can’t remember when exactly he gave Clemson a “silent” commitment — that’s recruiting speak for when a prospect commits to a school privately but has yet to publicly reveal their commitment.
It would’ve been at some point late in the Tommy Bowden era ending in 2008 or early in the Dabo Swinney era starting in 2009 — most likely during Swinney’s first season, when Scott was working as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator.
What Lattimore, now 33, does remember is standing outside his house in the Bright Farms neighborhood in Duncan, South Carolina at dusk. He was fresh off a visit to Clemson with his mother and stepfather, and was talking with Scott on the phone.
“From my memory, I committed,” Lattimore said on the June 17 podcast episode.
After Lattimore silently committed, he says Scott asked him to drive down to Clemson and surprise the rest of the coaching staff with the news. A commitment of that level warranted it. Lattimore was the No. 1 player in the state of South Carolina, the No. 1 running back in the country and the No. 9 overall recruit in the country.
Lattimore initially said yes. But he texted Scott late that night, saying he still wanted to come to Clemson but needed to “hold off for a little bit” on telling the full staff.
Ultimately, Clemson didn’t even make Lattimore’s public list of top five schools. He trimmed his potential colleges list to USC, UNC, North Carolina, Auburn, Penn State and Oregon in August 2009. Lattimore told recruiting reporter Phil Kornblut of his Clemson experience: “I just didn’t get that feeling there when I was on campus.”
Lattimore publicly committed to South Carolina and Spurrier on National Signing Day in February 2010.
He was a key part of the only South Carolina team to reach the SEC championship game (2010) and remains one of the most popular Gamecocks in program history.
But he didn’t regret committing to USC’s biggest rival.
“I mean, it felt right at the time,” Lattimore said of his Clemson commitment.
Speaking on Williams’ podcast, Lattimore laughed as he reminisced on his recruiting process. He described himself as a “highly touted, attention-loving, girl-seeking high school football player” who was easily swayed into “impulsive” decisions.
On top of silently committing to Clemson, Lattimore also revealed on the podcast that he’d once silently committed to Penn State and assistant coach Bill Kenney.
Lattimore, who starred at South Carolina from 2010-12, said his Clemson commitment ultimately didn’t stick because he made the decision too early.
“I love Jeff,” Lattimore said on “The Clemson Dubcast.” “I love everything about him. When I committed in that moment, I was serious. But over time, it’s like — I don’t know, I couldn’t commit that early. I was still having too much fun. Look, wine and dine me some more. (If I commit) I mean, I can’t get wined and dined anymore.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 10:58 AM.
