Little Brother Carries Big Expectations

If that's the inevitable result of their relationship, though, Lattimore is not complaining. He calls his relationship with Lewis a blend of father-son and older brother-younger brother, a dynamic that has existed since they were children, when they were together constantly.

Lewis would bring Lattimore not just to his football games; he would take him on his early dates with girls, to the movies or to a skating rink. And before he became a millionaire, Lewis still brought his younger brother gifts, snagging him extra football gloves or wrist bands from practice, for example. He would also correct Lattimore's behavior, scolding him for failing to take out the trash or demonstrating what he considered to be the proper way to mow a lawn.

"Ray was always more mature than his age," their mother, Sunseria Smith, said. "He had to be that father figure."

After the family arrived in Maryland, Lewis invited Lattimore and their three sisters to live with him. And again, he was both mentor and friend, taking a lead role in Lattimore's recruiting, for example, while also participating in water gun fights or hiding in the bushes to scare his siblings when they came home.

At Mount St. Joseph, Lattimore scored touchdowns as a wide receiver, running back, defensive back and return man, and never shied away from his brother's enormous personality. Lewis addressed the team before big games in each of Lattimore's three seasons and also spoke at a team banquet. He came to every game that didn't conflict with the Ravens' travel schedule, watching from behind a fence despite an invitation to stand on the sideline and even bringing former Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis to a game.

Once, Lewis agreed to Working's request that he hold forth from the middle of a team huddle in the locker room after practice, "and Keon was right in the middle of it," Working said. And by the time Lattimore got to Hargrave, Prunty said, he was the one leading such displays.

Lattimore also had performance incentives not often seen in high school; one prolific season of more than 20 touchdowns earned him a Range Rover, and he later received a Hummer for his birthday.

The wealth, he insisted, never changed their relationship, and he seems almost embarrassed by the Hummer, insisting that "I don't even drive it most of the time, I just park and walk around campus." Working agrees that Keon was without affectation, saying "he's as normal a kid as I've ever been around, for having so many things that were given to him."

Lattimore has told his mother recently that he feels more and more like Lewis's peer, and indeed, the brothers talk daily and regularly text message Bible verses to each other. They also train together in the offseason, both at home and during trips to Cancun, Boca Raton, Fla., or Jamaica, Smith said.

"I've never seen two brothers that close, I just haven't," said Prunty, who said Lattimore has the best hands and feet of any running back he has coached. "Keon understands that he's been blessed with the same ability that Ray has. I believe in my heart that Keon Lattimore will be an NFL guy."

Which brings us to Lattimore's arrival at Maryland. Last year, he missed four games with a dislocated shoulder and never entered the mix at running back, finishing the season with seven carries.

" 'Bro, you've got to rehab that thing and you've just got to keep working,' " Lattimore said his brother told him, and by the spring game Lattimore carried the ball 15 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns.