Beast in the Making

DeDe Lattimore made a big impression during his freshman year (Picture credits go to www.tbo.com)

The Bulls played a lot of freshman in 2010 as Holtz looked for the right personal and for players to emerge to help the team win. One player in particular stepped up and became a monster on defense, freshman linebacker DeDe Lattimore. Lattimore took over the position from senior linebacker Sabbath Joseph and helped energize the USF defense.

Lattimore, 6'2" 230-pounds, emerged as one of the top play makers on the defense this season. In a short amount of time Lattimore showed to the coaches he was a skilled and talented player, capable of playing the pass and rushing the quarterback. Lattimore finished the season with 60 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks. These are incredible numbers for a freshman that was not a starter to begin the year and taking over for a senior (Joseph).

Lattimore is very explosive, able to get to the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. He is also physical enough to fight through blocks and chase down the quarterback. He has great lateral speed and can cover most tight ends and running backs in space. USF has a long history of athletic linebackers such as Ben Moffitt, Patrick St. Louis, Kion Wilson and the list goes on and it appears that Lattimore could be another great in the making.

Entering the 2011 season, Lattimore is a full time starter, next to Barrington, Lanaris and company. He has all of the tools to become a big time player for the Bulls and has experience now under Mark Snyder's system. Look for Lattimore to have a big season in 2011 for the Bulls and for big time plays to happen on every snap he is on the field.