COLUMBIA, S.C. — Marcus Lattimore's current life is a far cry from his days at South Carolina.
The Byrnes product who made headlines with the Gamecocks more than a decade ago is currently living in Portland, Oregon with his wife. Lattimore still dabbles in coaching but he is also writing poetry and enjoying the landscape of the Pacific Northwest as he and his wife do a lot of hiking.
Lattimore was destined for greatness at USC and he did earn All-America status but his career was derailed by two devastating knee injuries. On Thursday night, Lattimore was back in Columbia where he was greeted by Gamecock fans who still remember what Marcus meant to the USC program. While he could be bitter at the hand he was dealt in terms of his knees, Marcus says that adversity has made him who he is today and he is not about to play the "What if?" game.
Signing autographs outside Navy Federal Credit Union just off Forest Drive, Lattimore engaged with the fans who arrived as they came for autographs and pictures but left with memories of having a brief conversation with someone who could have reached legendary status as a player, but instead called an option and is now making the most of what life has to offer off the field.