COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has let former Gamecocks running back Marcus Lattimore know that there’s a position for him at the university.

Lattimore, who suffered two major knee injuries with the Gamecocks, informed the San Francisco 49ers Wednesday that he will retire from the NFL. Spurrier said Lattimore’s surgically repaired knee was not responding the way everyone hoped.

The 23-year-old Lattimore suffered was drafted by the 49ers in 2013 and sat out last season. He hasn’t played this year.

Spurrier says either he, athletic director Ray Tanner or University President Harris Pastides could find a position for Lattimore after football. The coach says Lattimore was among South Carolina’s most popular and well-respected players ever. Lattimore, who majored in public health, has not graduated.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.