Over the course of the coaching search, plenty of former players from multiple decades of South Carolina football went to bat for Shane Beamer, but one of the biggest former players gave him a ringing endorsement Wednesday.

Marcus Lattimore gave his take in a video put out by the team on the Gamecocks’ new hire, sharing just how excited he was to have one of his former coaches back in Columbia leading the program.

“There are many things I can say about Shane Beamer: his enthusiasm as a person, his passion for the game, his attention to detail when it comes to those little things,” Lattimore said in the video.

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“All of those things are minuscule compare when it comes to what he’s going to bring as far as culture to our program. He believes in developing men. He looks at them and sees a human being. Because of that, he makes you want to run through a brick wall for him. I’m just excited for the future. Let’s go. Go Cocks. Let’s go baby.”

He didn’t directly play for Beamer, who was special teams coordinator and safeties coach in his only overlapping season with Lattimore, but the two go way back.

Beamer was one of the lead recruiters for Lattimore, and was part of the Gamecocks’ contingent responsible for bringing him to Columbia with the 2010 class.

Lattimore would go on to have one of the best seasons by a freshman and by a running back in school history, and he ended his career with 2,677 yards and 38 touchdowns before injuries hampered his career.

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Beamer also had a hand in some other big pieces in the Gamecocks’ recruiting class, bringing up his involvement with Alshon Jeffery, DeVontae Holloman and others in his introductory press conference.

The Gamecocks officially hired Beamer Sunday and he’s been on the job since then, working from Columbia and Oklahoma as he finishes his duties with the Sooners.