Jacob Lattimer is a success story of sorts.

The senior defensive end is not a flashy guy who does a celebration dance after each sack or tackle for loss he records out on the football field. Rather, the long-haired Cyclone, who describes his style of play as “balls-out,” has become synonymous with the blue-collar demeanor that has been adopted by the ISU football team.

“He is who we are,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “He’s a blue-collar guy, he loves to work hard, he loves to play hard, he’s not flashy, he doesn’t have all these different pass rush moves and he’s not 6-foot-6 and so forth.

“He plays the game hard, he plays the game disciplined and guys around him feed off that.”

With time, the Fort Scott, Kan., native has become one of the leaders of the ISU defense that has often been touted as the workhorse of the team.

“[Lattimer] pretty much gets us going when coach is not around and he leads by example,” said freshman defensive end David Irving. “Some guys, they’ll tell you what to do and they won’t do it themselves, [but] he actually does it himself so it’s pretty cool.”

Lattimer’s story of success has been rooted in his time as a junior college transfer having to change positions to eventually step his way into starting role at Iowa State after a big performance in one of the program’s most iconic victories.

In the first start of his Division I career, Lattimer recorded seven total tackles — two of which were sacks for a cumulative loss of five yards, two of which were tackles for loss for a cumulative loss of 10 yards — and one forced fumble in the Cyclones’ 28-21 victory over Texas last season, the first ever in program history.

“I was really amped up, excited to have my first start of my Division I college career,” Lattimer said. “I play [as] hard as I can every play, give it all effort until I’m completely drained and have to sub out.”

The effort given by Lattimer against the Longhorns caught the attention of many, as he went on to be named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pound defensive end hopes to emulate his effort against the Longhorns this time around, as Iowa State (3-0) hosts No. 17 Texas (3-0) at Jack Trice Stadium at 6 p.m. this Saturday.

Lattimer went on to start the Cyclones’ four remaining games last season after the win against Texas, compiling 39 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. He also led the team in sacks with four, making him a convincing choice to begin the 2011 season as a starter at defensive end.

“He’s one of those mad men out there,” said junior linebacker Jake Knott. “He’s going to go out there and he’s going to give it everything every single game.”

After transferring to Iowa State from Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan., Lattimer eventually transitioned from his familiar position of strong-side linebacker to defensive end as part of a mutual agreement between him and the ISU coaching staff at the beginning of spring practice last season.

“A few games into [last] season, I was still kind of iffy about it,” Lattimer said of playing defensive end. “After about the third game, I was really comfortable and I was way more comfortable with a three-point stance than I was before.”

Becoming one of the leaders of the ISU defense was also met with trouble for Lattimer, though.

Last March, Lattimer was arrested and charged with one count of assault of a peace officer and one count of interference of official acts in Campustown, which led to an indefinite suspension from the team.

“We are looked at differently compared to the general public,” Lattimer said of being a leader on the football team. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I could wish and wish and go back to that day and take it back but I can’t.”

Lattimer was reinstated in time for fall training camp in August, taking up his starting spot at defensive end in time for the Cyclones’ season-opening 20-19 victory over Northern Iowa on Sept. 3.

Through three games this season, Lattimer is tied for the second-most total tackles among defensive linemen on the team with 12 — eight of which are solo tackles — with 0.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. However, Lattimer said he is frustrated with his play so far.

“Your worst critic is yourself, I think,” Lattimer said. “The reason why I’m frustrated is that I feel like I could be making more of an impact than I have been.

“But we’re doing great as a defense so I shouldn’t be dwelling on how I’m not doing as good. As long as we’re doing great as a defense then that’s all that matters.”

As for Saturday’s Big 12-opener against Texas, Lattimer will try to shake his frustration with a repeat performance against a hungry UT team.

“If there’s a guy who can’t control him, he’s going to be making big plays,” Knott said of Lattimer. “Hopefully that happens this year but he’s going to give us 100 percent, and I think he could have another really big game for us.”