Caleb Williams dishes on his relationship with Spencer Rattler

Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams and former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler had an unexpected year in Norman.

Rattler began the season as the starter before being replaced by the true freshman signal called against Texas on Oct. 9. Now, Rattler is headed to South Carolina with hopes to be a starting quarterback once again.

On Wednesday, Williams joined “The Podcast on the Prairie” with Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis and discussed his relationship with his former teammate, one which many thought may have been awkward after the switch.

“We weren’t best friends, I can say that,” Williams said. “We weren’t best friends, but we didn’t hate each other either. There’s a bunch of other guys that I’m not best friends with, and I don’t hate them either on the team. Everybody always tried to make a thing out of nothing throughout the whole season. There was nothing to be made from it.

“There’s guys that you meet all the time, or women that you meet all the time, that you’re not best friends with and won’t be best friends with, but you don’t hate them, you don’t envy them, you don’t do none of that. I’m happy that he is now at (South Carolina) with Coach Beamer.”

Williams did not arrive at Oklahoma expecting to play right away. Rattler was a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, and he got the initial nod. Once Williams beat him out for the job, he had 1,568 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. The Washington D.C. native added five rushing touchdowns on the ground in the last seven games.

Despite being the No. 1 quarterback for the rest of the season, Williams said there was nothing about which to gloat.

“I wasn’t gonna talk trash about it, I wasn’t going to diss him, I wasn’t gonna make him out to be something that he isn’t or like I said trash him,” Williams added. “That wasn’t my purpose. My purpose was to come here to work.

“The only thing I told (former head coach Lincoln) Riley was like give me a chance, and I didn’t want anything else except for a chance. He said I can’t promise you anything but a chance, and that’s all. I didn’t ask for anything else. And so if I didn’t beat him out, then so be it. That’s his spot. But if I did, that’s my spot. That’s simply how it goes in my head.”

While Williams was the starter, Rattler entered three games in relief of Williams for the remainder of the season: Texas Tech, Baylor and Iowa State. He had a total of 12 pass attempts and one touchdown. The redshirt sophomore from Arizona announced he would transfer on Nov. 29, and he committed to South Carolina on Dec. 13.