As practice starts, new head coach Marcus Lattimore has lessons to teach

As a player, Marcus Lattimore was known for his selfless attitude and strong work ethic.

Now, as a coach, Lattimore demands the same from his players.

The former Gamecock great is in his first season as head football coach at Heathwood Hall. The Highlanders begin spring practice this week.

“Look at all the great programs. They are all selfless and do whatever they need to do for the team to be successful, on and off the field,” Lattimore said. “I expect a lot from them. I expect every football player to be a leader. That’s not easy. Sometimes, we want to fly under the radar. You won’t be able to do that in this program. You are going to have to be a great person before anything. And kids are starting to realize that because of my personality.

“You have to work hard, respect your coaches and teammates. … I’m not tough unless you don’t give 100 percent.”

Lattimore has put his words into action, taking members of his team to clean a house in Hartsville that was damaged by a flood. He said it was a good team bonding exercise.

This is Lattimore’s first head coaching job on the varsity level. He was Heathwood’s middle school coach last year and led the Highlanders to a 5-3 record and a championship.

Being a coach is something Lattimore envisioned doing when his playing career was cut short by repeated knee injuries.

Lattimore’s middle school championship came on the anniversary of the day he took his final snap for the Gamecocks, when he suffered a second severe knee injury in a 38-35 win over Tennessee at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2012. The San Francisco 49ers took Lattimore in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but he never played for them and retired in November 2014.

Lattimore started his own foundation and goes across the state with his camps. He is a spokesman for some Midlands businesses and gets many requests for speaking engagements.

Lattimore spoke in Sumter on Thursday for the National Day of Prayer, but has scaled back his speaking engagements to concentrate on leading the Heathwood football program.

“This is first priority. Put the program in position that we could be successful,” Lattimore said. “Coaching is my passion. I know I want to be at Heathwood. I love the people, coaches and community. This is great place for me to grow. I am so thankful for the opportunity.”

Lattimore sees himself coaching for a long time and wouldn’t mind getting into college coaching in the future. But his first challenge is to turn the Highlanders’ program around.

Heathwood hasn’t won more than three games in a season since winning 12 in 2009. The Highlanders compete in SCISA 3A, which includes perennial power Hammond and last year’s state champion Ben Lippen.

“I knew it would be a challenge,” Lattimore said. “This program is at a place where it shouldn’t be. Erik Kimrey at Hammond and Derrick White at Ben Lippen, those guys are the standard when it comes to SCISA football. We are chasing that standard. We are at the low end of the rope, but we are pulling and climbing and going to work hard to get to that point.”

Participants in the Heathwood football program are up. Because of Lattimore’s name, he said there has been added interest from prospective players from other schools wanting to transfer and play for him, But he knows Heathwood’s strong academic culture isn’t for everyone.

Lattimore spent the off-season breaking down film of last year’s team, seeing what worked and what didn’t. He also studied college programs and tried to pick up things and sought advice from college coaches – including some of his friends on the Gamecocks staff.

Lattimore said the team’s lack of size is a concern, so he ramped up its speed and strength workouts, which were led by former Greenwood standout Jay Spearman. He is one of those remaining from last year’s staff and will work with the quarterbacks.

Some of the new faces include former Heathwood standout Brandon Gantt, former Gamecocks kicker Jay Wooten and Cardinal Newman’s Jonathan Stackhouse.

All of the coaches on Lattimore’s staff, including him, will be involved with all three teams (varsity, junior varsity and the B team) as they look to implement the same system at all levels of the program. Lattimore will be the offensive coordinator and also coach the linemen.

Lattimore said he will use these next several weeks to set the tone going into summer workouts and camps.

“It is going to be a great ride. If we win a game, great; if we don’t, we still are going to learn something. You never know what is going to happen. Football teaches you how to handle adversity. That is why I am so thankful for this game. It has taught me so much in life now.

“Our main message is be willing to do whatever it takes for this team and be selfless in everything you do.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "As practice starts, new head coach Marcus Lattimore has lessons to teach."