Nov. 5, 2014

The South Carolina Gamecocks spent Wednesday afternoon at the Bluff Road practice fields.

The Gamecocks (4-5, 2-5 SEC) are enjoying a bye week this week, before wrapping up the 2014 regular season with contests at Florida (Nov. 15), at home versus South Alabama (Nov. 22) and at Clemson (Nov. 29).

Following Wednesday’s practice, head coach Steve Spurrier said that he spoke with Marcus Lattimore, who announced his retirement from the NFL today.

“(Marcus) said his knee just didn’t come around 100 percent,” said Coach Spurrier. “It looks like he’s going to have to hang it up. I told him he’s got a home back here in Columbia and the University of South Carolina. He knows that. Hopefully he’ll be back soon, probably try to graduate starting class in January, but maybe he can get back before then. Obviously, the big success we had here between 2010 and ’13 started when we signed Marcus Lattimore and then all the really top players that followed after he came with us.

“He’s a wonderful young man,” continued the Head Ball Coach. “He’s coming back hopefully soon. Maybe he can add a lot of inspiration to the University of South Carolina like he did when he was a player here. I don’t know if the President wants to hire him or the athletic director or us coaches, but certainly he can help out as he’s coming back to graduate like (graduate assistant) DeVonte Holloman. He’ll add a lot to South Carolina, our state, as well as our University.

“(Marcus) leads by example,” noted Coach Spurrier. “He does all the coaches ask and then a little bit more. He’d be out here before practice getting the running backs going through drills on their own. He’d just say, `follow me, let’s go get better today.’ That’s the kind of young man he is. He’s a tremendous team player; a team player all the way. We look forward to him getting back here in Columbia. We’re all disappointed that pro thing didn’t work out. But there are other things in life besides playing pro football. He’ll be successful in whatever he does.”

The Gamecocks will take the rest of the week off before returning to practice next Monday.