Gamecocks, Tar Heels still in Lattimore chase

Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes High’s Marcus Lattimore, the consensus No.1 running back in the country, has narrowed his final list of colleges from ten to five, and the remaining contenders for his services include North Carolina and South Carolina.

Also still in the hunt are Auburn, Oregon and Penn State.

Over the weekend, Lattimore cut his potential future schools in half by eliminating Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, Alabama and Rutgers.

Lattimore trimmed his list after returning Saturday night from a visit to Penn State.

“It really wasn't difficult,” he told Columbia recruiting expert Phil Kornblut. “I kind of had an idea when I came back from Penn State. I knew the schools I wanted in my five and felt comfortable with the players and coaches.”

Lattimore plans to return to the Nittany Lions’ campus for his official visit Oct. 10.

One big surprise—Clemson didn’t make his final five.

“I just didn't get that feeling there when I was on campus,” Lattimore said.

He has taken unofficial visits to all of his finalists except Oregon. He said he plans to see games at North and South Carolina as well as Auburn. He said he has no favorite, and won’t make his decision until the day before February’s National Signing Day.

More to come on many recruiting fronts today; after three weeks of vacation, we have a lot to catch up on, because the hunt for high school talent never stops. So welcome back, and let’s get going.

--Stan Olson

One more thing; as usual, if you know of a commitment or visit, drop me an email at solson@charlotteobserver.com.