South Carolina Football: Marcus Lattimore receives state’s highest honor

South Carolina football fans have witnessed some of the best players in college football history play for their favorite school.

Players like George Rogers, Jadeveon Clowney, Sterling Sharpe, and Alshon Jeffery were all arguably the best players at their positions while in college. However, one other former Gamecock was on that level, but injuries took away his career.

Running back Marcus Lattimore was the only running back in South Carolina football history that rivaled George Rogers on the field, and two season-ending knee injuries (including one that ultimately ended his football playing career) caused him to miss almost a season’s worth of games.

Even so, Lattimore owns the USC career record for rushing touchdowns (38) and touchdowns from scrimmage (41). Some publications named him an All-American as a freshman (not freshman All-American but full-fledged All-American), and he picked up All-SEC honors his sophomore and junior seasons despite not finishing either year.

Lattimore ranks near the top in South Carolina football history in rushing yards and yards per game, and he was the unquestioned top back on three of the Gamecocks’ top teams. The 2010 Gamecocks won the SEC East (the only division title for the football program), and the 2011 and 2012 squads each won 11 games (tied for a school record).

To this day, he is one of the most popular SEC running backs of all-time.

On Tuesday, it was announced that the Duncan, South Carolina native would be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Lattimore will join South Carolina State head football coach and South Carolina football assistant coach Oree Banks, Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett, North Carolina basketball player Ivory Latta (from York Comprehensive High School), College of Charleston basketball player Anthony Johnson, Clemson golfer Lucas Glover, Harvard basketball star Allison Feaster (from Chester High School), Booker T. Washington basketball coach William Partlow, Union/Sims High School basketball star Clifford Ray, and Coastal Carolina quarterback Tyler Thigpen.