Seymore ready to help UM
Laurence Seymore finished his Central career by winning a second straight state championship. The lineman everyone calls ‘Big Baby’ is ready to help Miami.
As the final minutes ran out on his high school career, Laurence Seymore sat alone on the corner of an otherwise empty bench on Miami Central’s sideline at Doak Campbell Stadium. Central was running out the clock on a 46-0 dismantling of Lake Minneola in the Class 6A championship and the senior was feeling a little emotional.
He had been starting for the Rockets since he was a freshman and, finally, his incredible run at Central was about to end. That week, he signed a national letter of intent with the Miami Hurricanes, nearly
three years after he orally committed. Dec. 18 in Tallahassee, he got to hoist a state championship trophy for the second consecutive year to cap his time with the Rockets.
“I ain’t really trying to cry right now. I’m holding it in,” Seymore said. “It’s every kid’s childhood dream to win states in high school, then try to do it at the college level.”
Next month, it’s off to Coral Gables.
“Once he gets to Miami,” said Laurence Seymore Sr., Seymore’s father,
“I’ve got a strong feeling he’s going to change the game and that’s what I want him to do: Come in and change the game.”
For as long as Central knew Seymore could be special, the Hurricanes felt the same way. Miami offered him a scholarship before he ever played a high school game, then landed his commitment in 2018 after he finished his freshman season.
Throughout his four seasons with the Rockets, Seymore started games at both guard spots and both tackle spots.
He took over as their right tackle midway through his freshman season and never let go of a starting job. In 2019, he anchored Central’s offensive line, which paved the way for a state championship-record 498 rushing yards. On Friday, he manned his usual spot at left tackle as the Rockets (8-1) won their second straight.
Since he was in elementary school, Seymore had a reputation as one of South
Florida’s best. At 9, he played on teams with 13year-olds and they dubbed him “Big Baby,” a nickname that sticks with him to this day.
Back then, he was giant for his size and had to always play against older kids because of weight limits. It taught him his defining traits.
He’s a four-star guard and the No. 162 player in the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, because of his technique and the edge he plays with. Now just 6-2, Seymore is a bit undersized for an lineman, but he makes up for it with his quickness, his polish and, as his father put it, his “heart.”
“He was just a big kid and he had a heart. He wasn’t scared to play,” Seymore Sr. said. “He always had to play up and then he dominated when he played up because everybody’s scared of him. He’s aggressive. He’s very, very aggressive.
“Everybody looks at his size. You’re looking at somebody who’s got the heart to want to play.”
When Seymore was in eighth grade, his father brought him out to one of
the Hurricanes’ summer camps. Seymore Sr. had always pushed his son by throwing him into the fire against older kids and this camp would be the perfect opportunity to continue. Inevitably, he’d match up with juniors and seniors who were trying to catch Miami’s attention.
Instead, the big baby did. He was the best lineman at the camp and former Hurricanes offensive line coach Stacy Searels offered him a scholarship.
“That was shocking,” Seymore Sr. said.
Seymore Sr. sat his son down after the Miami offer came in.
“Look,” he told him, “being recognized is one thing, but you’ve still got to go out there and perform for the people, let them know that you’re able to stay on the field with these guys, even though you’re a ninth grader.”
For four years, there never was a letdown. Seymore never lost his edge. Most other college coaches didn’t realize until it was too late to sway Seymore from his longstanding commitment.
“I’m all about loyalty, love,” Seymore said. “The love they show is awesome.
I’m a hometown kid. It’s where I want to be at.”
The results on the field always spoke for themselves. The Rockets were always state title contenders when Seymore was in the lineup and Central’s reputation as “Running Back High” only grew with the star offensive lineman paving the way for recordbreaking performances.
Seymore’s size never scared off the Hurricanes. In some ways, it drew Miami to him.
He’ll come to Coral Gables with an attitude that could only be cultivated by always just being a little too little — whether it meant he was few years younger than everyone else or a few inches too short.
Almost 10 years after he first stepped on a field, he’s still “Big Baby” and he’s ready for the next step.
“This is just phase two,” Seymore Sr. said. “We’ve got one more phase on the collegiate level. If he can keep this same intensity up, and the same motivation and drive, he’ll do well.”