Geimere Latimer still remembers the sting of how his recruiting played out, even if the rest of his football life has kept moving.
He was the starting quarterback on a Georgia Class AAA team that won a state championship in his senior year, and the state coaches association named him player of the year in 2022. By the numbers, he had a case: 3,007 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 576 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground. He also had a strong junior season, when he was first-team all-state at quarterback.
But the Division I market never lined up with how Latimer saw himself. He told EerSports at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas, "Honestly, I always knew I wasn't going to be a quarterback, because I'm, like, 5-9," he told EerSports at this week's Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas.
"But even then, I felt like I had shown enough, I had proven myselve enough, to be able to play at a higher level. That opportunity didn't present itself."
That still sits with him.
He knew he could impact a game on both sides of the ball. Others saw it too, which is why some schools were willing to look at him as a quarterback, others as a receiver, and plenty as a defensive back.
Latimer wanted more than that. "I felt like I was always good enough to play at a higher level, and I wasn't getting that," he said.
Jacksonville State gave him that opening and placed him at cornerback. He played in every game and started twice in 2023, the Gamecocks’ first season in the FBS, then played every game again a year later as Jacksonville State won the Conference USA championship.
After that, the path looked familiar in a different way. His defensive coordinator left after Latimer’s freshman season, and his head coach left after his sophomore year.
When those coaches moved on, Latimer decided he could do the same. He entered the transfer portal, drew plenty of interest and signed with Wisconsin.
"I felt like more people actually wanted me," he said.
Now he’s at West Virginia, where his younger brother, Amari, is a backup running back. He’s also back with the defensive coordinator and head coach who once left his side at Jacksonville State: Zac Alley and Rich Rodriguez. They wanted him in the offseason and see him fitting at nickel back.
Latimer says he’s in a different place now, with more time left in college football than he once expected and a better understanding of what he already accomplished. "There were times in high school where I would be down, and my family would pick me up, because at the end of the day, I didn't understand it at the time, and I couldn't see the bigger picture," he said. "It was always a blessing for me to be able to go and still play D-I football, and I didn't understand that then, but I understand it now.
"There are so many guys who are really good football players that don't even get the opportunity. I think what drives me the most is just the fact that I was able to persevere through all of that and understand that there are guys just as good as me who just don't get the opportunity. That drives me every day to be better, because I understand that somebody can take that job as well."
In Other News...
West Virginia Just Landed A Back Who Could Change Everything
Cam Cook is back in the Big 12 and heading to West Virginia after a dominant 2025 season at Jacksonville State, where the senior running back used an extra year of eligibility to keep his career going. His arrival gives the Mountaineers a proven runner with a track record of carrying an offense, and it comes at a time when West Virginia is looking to get its ground game back on track after a difficult season.
Cooks production at Jacksonville State was the kind that turns heads across the league, and West Virginia is betting that skill set can translate quickly in Morgantown. The fit makes sense on paper, especially for a program that wants more punch on the ground, but the real question now is how the Mountaineers plan to use him and just how much he can reshape their rushing attack once he gets into the system. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Landed A Big Piece For WVU's O-Line Future
Rich Rodriguezs latest addition to the West Virginia offensive line pipeline comes in the form of Tristan Hardin-Roberts, a Blount High School lineman from Mobile, Alabama who gives the Mountaineers another developmental piece up front. Hardin-Roberts arrives with the kind of frame and versatility coaches like to work with, and he was able to sort through a handful of suitors before settling on Morgantown.
West Virginia beat out Oklahoma State, South Florida and Tulane for his commitment, a notable win as Rodriguez continues building out the future of the line. He is expected to begin at tackle, though the staff could always revisit his best fit once he gets on campus and adds more weight, leaving a little room for the final answer on where he settles in. [Read more 🡒]