Life of Lattimore
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2016
Mary Zimmerman
Ohio State Athletics Communications
Featured in the October 8th edition of the Ohio State Football Official Gameday Magazine. To view more from the Ohio State vs. Indiana Gameday Magazine, click here.
On Saturdays, the country sees a tough, turbo-charged and tenacious #2.
As of last week, the corner for the Silver Bullets, redshirt sophomore Marshon Lattimore was tied with his fellow teammate, Malik Hooker, leading the nation in interceptions.
But what the country does not often get to see is Lattimore’s lightness. He speaks softly and concisely, using only enough words to unerringly articulate his thoughts. His brown eyes are so deep you could drown; they have seen more in 20 years than Lattimore himself may be willing to admit. However, he has undoubtedly observed more than many have seen in their lifetime.
Scattered throughout his Twitter feed are posts about his deceased friends, shout-outs to his loved ones, and throwback pictures growing up in Glenville, Ohio.
“Where I come from can tend to be a rough area.”
The veracity of that statement is all too real for Lattimore, as well as the other Buckeye alums and Glenville greats such as Troy Smith, Teddy Ginn, Jr., and Cardale Jones. In Glenville, Ohio, located in East Cleveland, only 12.8 percent of the population has a high school diploma. Forty-five percent live below the poverty level. The night song is a violent one, harmonious gunshots and sirens are the children’s lullabies.
“I know this sounds incredibly cliché, but I didn’t want to fall into the gangs and violence. My environment is one of my main motivations. Football is my way out,” Lattimore confesses.
Authenticity drips from Lattimore’s every carefully deciphered word. He smiles softly and admits, “I feel uncomfortable talking about myself. I’m not into the media that much. I don’t like talking myself up.”
While his humbled nature speaks more about his character, that’s not to say his stats should be ignored. Through five weeks, he is among the national leaders in interceptions as well as passes defended and the defense as a whole leads the country in allowing just 9.3 points per game.
“One of our goals is to be the best defense in the country.” Lattimore says.
As of now, it seems like said goal has a solid chance of being executed. The strong groundwork and genuineness Lattimore gives to the Buckeyes is a refreshing one. It has been said that from struggle comes strength, and it is that exact strength that has so many Buckeye fans on the edge of their seats cheering for Lattimore.
