Garnet and Cocky
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South Carolina Football: Ranking the most otherworldly Gamecock athletes

By Kevin Miller

South Carolina football has never seen a player with as much defensive versatility as Melvin Ingram. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina football has never seen a player with as much defensive versatility as Melvin Ingram. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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South Carolina Football
Running back Marcus Lattimore is one of the best ball carriers in school history, and his best trait as a runner was probably his vision. Lattimore seemed to have eyes in the back of his head with the football in his hands. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /

South Carolina Football’s No. 5 Most Otherworldly Player of All-Time:
Running Back Marcus Lattimore

The second-greatest running back in Gamecock history, Marcus Lattimore had a gift that was definitely not of this world. While fast, Lattimore was not a burner. While strong and physical, he was not a bruising back. However, #21 had the best vision of any back to tote the rock in garnet and black. In fact, at times, it felt as if Lattimore had eyes in the back of his head.

Marcus Lattimore broke a ton of tackles during his time as a Gamecock. The majority of those missed tackles did not occur because Lattimore ran over the defender (though he did that some) or because he shook his defender with Ace Sanders-like footwork (though he did that some, too).

No, instead, Lattimore was an expert at finding every available hole in the defense and excelled at making subtle movements that would put defenders out of position just enough that they couldn’t get a grip on #21 in garnet. It was that type of metaphysical dominance that separated Marcus Lattimore from the rest of the running backs in the country.

Unfortunately, we learned through Lattimore’s career that even extraterrestrials can face injuries. The sure-fire Pro Bowler never played a down in the NFL after two devastating knee injuries (the second being one of the worst on-field injuries in recent memory), and the world of football was worse off because of it.