WVU RB Coach Compares Amari Latimer’s Build to Two NFL Running Backs

The freshman has the look; now it comes down to putting it all together.

WVU Athletics Communications

Amari Latimer looked like he was ready to play in the Big 12 in Week 1 of his senior season of high school football. Heck, maybe even earlier than that.

The 5-10, 230-pound frame is something you rarely see for a freshman running back, especially with how very little of that 230 pounds is body fat. The dude is built like an NFL veteran, so it's easy to see why the transition to college football has gone fairly smoothly for him.

He runs right through tackles, and when he lowers the shoulder, you better watch out. The defender on the receiving end of that better square up, or he's going to feel it the next morning. Guys like him don't come around all that often. Even WVU running backs coach Jay Boulware has been amazed by how physical he is and compared that incredible build to a pair of running backs he coached at Oklahoma who ended up in the NFL.

“I’ve been looking at his running style, and I think they’re all different. I guess the one guy that I would tell him, body-wise- the build, his build is similar to Rhamondre Stevenson. His build is similar to Samaje Perine. Those guys are all big, thick guys, and they were thick from the very first time they stepped on campus to the time that they’re in the NFL. That’s what he looks like. Now, how he plays, every runner is different. They all have different things that they do that are assets to football teams. Amari is no different in that regard. He is more physical than I would expect a freshman to be, probably because he’s just so doggone big. But he’s been a joy to coach and try to get him ready to go for the big time, and I look forward to his growth.”

For a guy his size, running routes and catching the football doesn't always come easy. But for Latimer, he's an all-around back who can do everything.

“Not every big kid can do what Amari does, though. Let’s make sure we say that," Boulware said. "I mean, you can be a big guy and not have that skill set. Amari has that skill set. Even though he’s a big guy, he can move like a smaller guy, and that’s what makes him special.”

Cam Cook will be the featured back in WVU's offense this fall, but Latimer will still have a massive role, getting a bunch of carries as the clear-cut No. 2.