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Spencer Rattler career timeline: Looking back on South Carolina quarterback's college career, transfer from Oklahoma

austin curtright, usa today network
·4 min read

Former South Carolina football quarterback Spencer Rattler has had a rollercoaster college career, but now the fifth-year passer is expected to be among the first handful of quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft.

Rattler, a five-star recruit out of Pinnacle High School in Arizona, originally committed to Oklahoma, where he played for the Sooners for three seasons, including two as the starter. However, he lost his role as the starter as a junior, subsequently transferring to South Carolina the next season.

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Rattler played two seasons with the Gamecocks, and had some remarkable performances, along with some that left room for improvement.

Regardless, Rattler has proved he has the arm talent necessary for the NFL, even winning the Senior Bowl MVP on Feb. 5.

Here's a lookback at Rattler's career timeline, from Oklahoma to South Carolina to now the NFL Draft:

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Spencer Rattler career timeline

Spencer Rattler was the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class, choosing Oklahoma and then-coach Lincoln Riley.

Rattler served as the Sooners' third-string quarterback in 2019, playing behind Jalen Hurts and backup Tanner Mordecai, who later became the starter at SMU and Wisconsin. The next season, however, he took over the reins.

Rattler excelled in his first season as Oklahoma's starter in 2020, completing 214 of 317 passes for 3,031 yards with 28 touchdowns to seven interceptions, leading Oklahoma to eight consecutive wins to end the season after dropping back-to-back games in the early season.

Rattler then entered the 2021 season as one of the Heisman Trophy favorites but got off to a much slower start than as a redshirt freshman. He led the Sooners to a 5-0 record before facing archrival Texas at the Cotton Bowl, but turned over the ball twice in the first half against the Longhorns before being replaced by fellow five-star freshman Caleb Williams.

Williams, who's now expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, helped erase Oklahoma's 21-point deficit in the 55-48 win, while taking Rattler's job the rest of the season.

After the season, Riley left Oklahoma to be the coach at USC, with Williams following Riley to the Trojans and Rattler transferring to South Carolina, reconnecting with former Sooners assistant Shane Beamer.

Rattler was solid but not outstanding in his first season at South Carolina, however, he had two of the best performances by a quarterback in all of college football to end the regular season.

Rattler led the Gamecocks to back-to-back wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson in 2022, passing for a whopping 438 yards with six touchdowns against the Vols with another 360 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers to give South Carolina eight wins on the season.

The fifth-year starter was solid in 2023, passing for 3,186 yards with 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions, however, South Carolina went 5-7 despite the high expectations after finishing 2022 on a high note.

Rattler then entered the NFL draft after the season, with no college eligibility remaining.

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Why did Spencer Rattler transfer from Oklahoma to South Carolina?

Spencer Rattler transferred from Oklahoma to South Carolina after the 2021 season, when projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams supplanted Rattler as the Sooners' starter.

After the 2021 season, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for the coaching opening at USC, resulting in Rattler and Williams both entering the transfer portal.

Riley brought Williams with him to USC, while Rattler reconnected with former Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer, the head coach at South Carolina.

The Gamecocks gave Rattler a chance to be the starter again, while also allowing Rattler to play against high-level competition in the SEC.

Spencer Rattler stats

  • 2019 (Oklahoma): 7 of 11 passing for 81 yards with a touchdown; 3 carries for 23 yards

  • 2020 (Oklahoma): 214 of 317 passing for 3,031 yards with 28 touchdowns to seven interceptions; 81 carries for 160 yards with six touchdowns

  • 2021 (Oklahoma): 140 of 187 passing for 1,483 yards with 11 touchdowns to five interceptions; 43 carries for 77 yards with three touchdowns

  • 2022 (South Carolina): 264 of 399 passing for 3,026 yards with 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions; 73 carries for 46 yards with three touchdowns

  • 2023 (South Carolina): 275 of 399 passing for 3,186 yards with 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions; 97 carries for 104 yards with four touchdowns

Spencer Rattler NFL mock draft

Here are the latest NFL draft projections for Spencer Rattler:

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Spencer Rattler career timeline: South Carolina QB college lookback