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Position: S
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 205
Hometown: Hyattsville, Md
High School: Dematha Catholic HS/Fork Union Military Academy
Year: RS Sophomore
Kyrrel Latimer is another member of the group of UVA football players who spent a season at FUMA before enrolling in college. Latimer originally pledged to the Hoos as part of the 2010 class, but was not accepted at UVA. After a post-grad season, he finally made his way to Charlottesville.
In 2010, Latimer was rated a 2 star S by Rivals and Scout, and a 3 star S by ESPN. After his post-grad season, he was rated 3 stars by all 3 services (ESPN did not re-evaluate him). ESPN ranked him the #93 S in the country, and Scout ranked him #92. He chose the Hoos (twice!) over the likes of Boston College, New Mexico and Maryland.
Latimer was also a track athlete in HS, running the 100 meters and the 4x100 relay. He's seriously fast. His reported 40 time is 4.46, which is outstanding for a S. He's not the biggest kid, but he's got a similar body type to former safety Corey Mosley. While he's not the hitter Mosley was, he can certainly lay the wood on a guy. His problem is that he's often just diving at a guy's legs in order to bring him down, instead of making a solid tackle.
Latimer can play in coverage as a centerfielder, with good speed and range. He also has good hands, and enough athleticism to do something with the ball following a pick. He returned kicks in HS, and was very good at it, although he doesn't seem likely to see that role at this level.
After missing the majority of the 2011 season with a knee injury, he was healthy last year, but still didn't see the field. He may be struggling to pick up the intricacies of college defenses, which explains why he's listed 3rd on the depth chart behind a CB. He's just a sophomore, so it isn't a huge disappointment, but after a prep year and a redshirt year, you'd expect him to be more advanced than some of his younger teammates. He should see some time on special teams this year, assuming he is healthy.
With some talented safeties coming into the fold over the next couple of years (Malcolm Cook and Quin Blanding) plus some solid guys on the depth chart now (Anthony Cooper and Mason Thomas just to name two), Latimer is going to have to work hard to get on the field. He's certainly got the speed and athleticism that Mike London wants from his DBs, but that isn't enough. Latimer is going to need the proverbial light to come on. He's going to need to be more confident with his reads, and start making some plays.