Marcus Lattimore to return to South Carolina as 'ambassador'
Marcus Lattimore’s career was cut short by a gruesome knee injury, but that doesn’t mean his time around football has ended.
According to The State, Lattimore, South Carolina’s all-time leader in touchdowns, will return to the Gamecocks as an “ambassador to the football program.” He’ll also be re-enrolling in classes in order to receive his degree.
Lattimore was injured during his junior season at South Carolina and declared himself eligible for the NFL draft a few months later. He was selected in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers, but was never able to fully rehabilitate the knee to the point where he could play football competitively.
He announced his retirement on Nov. 5 and now he will enroll in January for South Carolina’s spring semester in efforts to complete his degree in public health.
“It’s the first step,” Lattimore said of returning to school. “I plan to finish up school and most likely be done with it next January (2016).”
As of now, Lattimore is unsure what his exact title and duties will be with the program.
“There’s been some back-and-forth,” he said. “I’ll most likely work with the university, coach (Ray) Tanner, president (Harris) Pastides, coach (Steve) Spurrier, whatever they need me to do. There’s no official title that we have talked about yet, but we’re trying to get something nailed down.”
When Lattimore announced his retirement, head coach Steve Spurrier made it clear that he could come back and work for the school.
"If he wants to come back and work for the University of South Carolina, certainly the president, athletic director or myself, whatever we can find job-wise for him here, we would certainly do that," Spurrier said. "I'm sure between the three of us, we'll find something for him to help out here with the athletic program, not only football but all athletes."
In three seasons at South Carolina from 2010-2012, Lattimore gained 2,677 yards and scored 38 touchdowns on the ground.
For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
