Marcus Lattimore thought he would be a professional football player at 27.

The Duncan native was a highly sought-after recruit who fulfilled many of those expectations as a player at the University of South Carolina until injuries derailed his plan. After a short, unsuccessful stint in the NFL, Lattimore came back to South Carolina and worked as a high school football coach until returning to the University of South Carolina as the director of player development in January 2018.

He said his job now largely includes mentoring football players because he’s often one of few people who can empathize.

“The description of the job is very different depending on what school you’re at,” Lattimore said. “I’m forever grateful for it because it kind of showed me what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

“I can relate with the struggles of growing up and being in poverty and being in dysfunction … and I can shed light and give advice on how to handle situations within their family because we probably dealt with the same thing.”

Lattimore sees himself going into psychology or another field that would allow him to study human behavior.

Having gone from being the SEC Freshman of the Year to plagued by injuries within the span of four years, Lattimore’s focus is on players understanding there’s more to life than football.

“In this athletic world, you see some of the same mistakes and bad decisions happen every single day, every single year,” he said. “I care most about the student athletes knowing what’s real in life … and knowing this is the only one you have. Realizing that and being humble enough to accept that you only get one life. You can have fulfillment without the game.”

The Marcus Lattimore Foundation, now run by his mom, stepdad and wife, mirrors the work Lattimore does with the Gamecocks but with high school students. Lattimore says the mindset that sports can carry you through life can start as early as high school.

He knows because it happened to him.

“When you grow up in a small town and everybody tells you how good you are, your ego secretly gets inflated, and you feel like you’re invincible,” he said. “You feel like you can play forever … but this is not reality. You have to get ready for the real world.”

At 27, Lattimore’s job is one he would’ve never expected to have, but it directly corresponds with the things he’s most passionate about in life right now.

“My legacy is hopefully that the lives I come in contact with, the people I meet … hopefully they know I was trying to do the right thing at all times … I want to help humans. I want to help these student athletes grow into people who reach their full potential.”

This is one of a series of stories celebrating Black History Month by telling the stories of South Carolina's black leaders in sports, education, entertainment, business and politics.