COLUMBIA — As a senior at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona, Spencer Rattler never imagined that he would finish his college football career at South Carolina.

He was the starting quarterback at Oklahoma when former Sooners assistant Shane Beamer was on staff, but the two barely knew each other until Rattler entered the transfer portal a season after Beamer was hired as the Gamecocks' head coach.

"I knew he was a guy I wanted to play for, but I never in a million years thought I would be at South Carolina. It's funny how God works," Rattler said. "(Beamer) leads that locker room like nobody I've seen before. He's got it headed the right direction, and I was just happy to be a part of it. Playing under him on this team, it's been awesome."

There is a tragic irony in seeing Rattler's season end on an ugly 16-7 loss to Clemson (8-4) after his performance against the Tigers in last year's 31-30 win cemented his legend status at South Carolina (5-7). The senior quarterback had a historic two years in Columbia, finishing No. 5 on the program's all-time list for career passing yards and single-season passing yards (2023).

Rattler was the Gamecocks' bright spot so many times this season, but he struggled in what will likely be his final game at Williams-Brice Stadium. He recorded his lowest completion percentage of the season going 16-of-32 for 112 yards and had just his third game this year with zero touchdowns and at least one interception.

"I think as a quarterback you're going to have years in your career with big win seasons, and then like this season, with five wins," Rattler said. "That's just part of life. Nothing's easy. You've got to work every day, and that's something I'm proud of with this team. We came to work every day. Win or loss, we showed up on Sunday to put the work in. ... I've been on teams where it's different, so I'm just proud of this team, love these guys and love these coaches."

Even with a disappointing finish, Rattler will leave South Carolina with overwhelmingly fond memories. Beamer, along with first-year offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, helped revitalize his career in 2023 after his high-profile benching for Caleb Williams at Oklahoma in 2021 and a rollercoaster 2022 with the Gamecocks under former offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.

"This place meant everything to me ... I wanted to be a part of a change in this program, and I feel like I put 110% effort into it every day," Rattler said. "I've built so many close relationships that will be close 10, 20 years down the line. Our QB room is the closest, coolest, realest QB room ever, man. I love those dudes and going to work with them every day."

Saying goodbye to Rattler and the senior class was equally emotional for Beamer, who spent nearly 30 seconds attempting to hold back tears as he discussed what the group has meant to him.

"We went through a lot this year with the injuries, and they just kept hanging in there," Beamer said. "This team easily could have (thrown in the towel) and they never did ... These guys are just a lot of fun to be around, and that's the hardest thing about not getting that sixth win is not being able to see them for the next month."

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The Gamecocks quarterback technically has another year of eligibility he could choose to use, but his departure for the NFL Draft seems inevitable after he accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl earlier this week. Rattler hasn't made an official announcement about his future, and he said after the Clemson game that he plans to take some time away from football before finalizing any decisions.

"I'll get into that when the time is right, announce everything and let y'all know what's up, but I'm really just taking it day by day right now," Rattler said. "I'm just going to rest my body, take some time off and then get back to it."

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why South Carolina football 'meant everything' to QB Spencer Rattler