Star Gulliver OLB sets commit date after winning MVP at All-America camp. UM’s in mix
Travious Lathan was getting a little bit tired of riding the bench as a freshman wide receiver at Miami Gulliver Prep, so he jumped at the chance to finally suit up and get real playing time for the junior varsity team.
There was a catch, though: Gulliver Prep wanted him to try out linebacker. It turned into a transformational experience for the two-way athlete.
“I played linebacker, did really well,” Lathan said Sunday in Ives Estates. “Ever since then, I’ve been starting.”
Last season, he solidified himself as one of the top linebackers in South Florida and he added to his case this weekend as the most valuable player for the linebackers group at an Under Armour All-America Camp at Ives Estates Park.
In a camp showcasing cover ability, the 6-2, 202-pound junior was able to show off what he does best as a part-time wideout. It also provided a reminder for why the Miami Hurricanes want to land the four-star outside linebacker and now they have a deadline for when they need to lock him up.
“I was reading the running backs’ routes out the backfield,” Lathan said. “I just knew what they were doing, I knew all the head fakes — I was running every route for them.”
After the camp, Lathan set a commitment date for the first day of September, just as his senior season will begin.
“I just want to focus on my senior year,” he said, “get it out the way, so I can be ready to sign in December.”
Striker or linebacker for Lathan?
The role Lathan plays at Gulliver makes him an idea fit for what the Hurricanes need at linebacker — and for just about any team trying to modernize itself at the position.
In six games, Lathan logged 20 tackles, caught 14 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a two-point conversion. He mostly played receiver and strong safety, and most schools, he said, have pitched him on playing a hybrid linebacker-safety role. He’s also the No. 24 outside linebacker in the country, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
With the Hurricanes, it could mean striker — a position he said is similar to the one the Raiders have him in. As the Hurricanes try to upgrade their athleticism and sideline-to-sideline speed all across the linebackers corps, Lathan could be a fit as a more traditional linebacker, too. He said coach Manny Diaz and inside linebackers coach Jonathan Patke are both involved in his recruitment, although defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson has taken over as his primary recruiter following the departure of former inside linebackers coach Travis Williams.
“They like that I can cover and also I can come up and hit. They want me as like a striker,” Lathan said. “That’s what they talk to me about.”
As of Sunday, Lathan said he had yet to talk to new outside linebackers coach Ishmael Aristide. Robinson, though, has made a quick impression.
“I love him,” Lathan said. “He brings a lot of excitement to the program. He’s a really good to talk to.”
Travious Lathan resets top 8
Back in January, the Hurricanes made the top eight for Lathan, along with the Pittsburgh Panthers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Oregon Ducks and Arizona State Sun Devils. Now the top group, he said, is no more as other teams — most notably the LSU Tigers — have offered.
He already has his first official visit lined up, too, and it’s not with one of those teams from his top eight: the West Virginia Mountaineers. Lathan plans to head up to Morgantown, West Virginia, in June and said he’ll probably swing by Pittsburgh while he’s in the area.
Lathan said he also talked to Florida State coach Mike Norvell on Saturday and he plans to attend a camp in Tallahassee in June, too.
The Hurricanes are also on the list to get a visit at some point. Even though Lathan lives near Coral Gables, he only has seen the football facilities because the ongoing dead period has now run for nearly a full year. He wants to get a full look at the campus in the coming months.
“The Indoor Practice Facility — that’s pretty much all I’ve seen,” Lathan said.
For now, Lathan is in no rush to make a decision.
“I had a top group, but a lot of schools have been coming more,” he said, “so I’m just going to wear my options out and then commit.”
