There’s a little-known fact about football players. When it comes right down to it, the smartest position group on the field is almost always the lineman.
It actually makes sense when you think about it. A lineman needs to know what every teammate on the field is supposed to do on every play. If you block for a running play to the right, and the running back cuts to the left, disaster is sure to follow.
Plymouth South senior tackle Cam Latham takes that high football IQ with him every day into the classroom. One of the top academics in the Class of 2027, last month Latham earned recognition as a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Latham is one of about 34,000 students across the country to earn the prestigious honor. Commended Students are selected based on their scores on the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
“This is a great honor to receive,” said Latham during a break in a recent football practice. “I put a lot of work into my academics and it’s nice to see the hard work I’ve done pay off.”
A three-sport athlete and an accomplished musician in addition to being an excellent student, superior time management skills are the essential ingredient to make everything work.
“I’ve seen him up late at night doing his homework or doing it early in the morning before heading out for school. He puts it all on himself to make sure he gets everything done,” said Cam’s father, Tommy Latham, who is also his hockey coach. “The effort he puts into everything he does, whether it’s athletics or academics, is absolutely amazing to me.
“As a parent, and a coach, I couldn’t be prouder of the young man Cam has become.”
Plymouth South head football coach Darren Fruzzetti said, “There’s not enough hours in the day to everything that Cam wants to do, but he finds a way to make it all work. He’s never satisfied with the work he’s done. He always wants to do more.”
Training for football and ice hockey are time-consuming, as is the work Latham puts into the shot put and discus events during the spring track and field season. Now mix in playing stand-up bass in the Plymouth South school orchestra as well as carrying a course load that includes several AP courses.
But Latham’s lengthy list of duties and obligations doesn’t end there. Latham is also president of the Model UN Club, president of the Engineering Club, and a member of the National Honor Society, the French National Honor Society, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
Latham’s plate is perpetually overflowing. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I enjoy doing a lot of different things and I don’t want to leave high school with any regrets about missing out on something,” said Latham. “My dad was in the military, and I think I get a lot of my time management skills from him. I’m pretty good at bearing down and getting things done.”
Math is Latham’s favorite subject to study, which leads perfectly into what he wants to do next. He’ll find out in mid-December whether he has been accepted at MIT, a college he’s wanted to attend “since he was around 5,” said Tommy Latham.
“That’s my top college choice, without a doubt,” said Cam Latham, who wants to pursue a career in engineering. “I could also continue playing football there at the NCAA Division III level.”
David Wolcott can be reached at dwolcottjr@gmail.com.