Jim Nagy: Spencer Rattler impressed NFL scouts in loss to North Carolina

South Carolina struggled the string together offensive drives during Saturday’s 31-17 loss to North Carolina. Not everything went terrible, however. According to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, Spencer Rattler looked like a legitimate pro prospect despite the Gamecocks’ losing effort.

Rattler finished the game completing 30-for-39 passes for 353 yards, but despite his workload did not throw a touchdown pass. He didn’t turn the ball over, either, but the amount of sacks he took made him finish the game with negative-22 yards rushing despite having a 15-yard run on the night.

“In Rattler’s defense, when you watch the tape, he was sacked eight times — he could have been sacked 20 times. He’s got nice feel in the pocket, he got out of there a bunch,” Nagy told On3’s Andy Staples. “Not only did he escape with feel and quickness, he ripped away from some sacks from big guys, so he showed some strength in the pocket. He delivered some strikes under duress.

“Spencer Rattler put a ton of NFL throws on tape in that game that scouts are going to love. It’s the compromised pocket into tight windows. He was going all that stuff and he lost arguably his best receiver in Juice Wells in the first half. He kind of turned Xavier Legette into an overnight star, he played his butt off the other night.”

Legette emerged as Rattler’s top receiver with nine catches for 178 yards as well, while Wells didn’t have the opportunity to record any stats for the Gamecocks after injuring his foot in the first half against the Tar Heels.

On top of that, the amount of sacks Rattler took throughout the night led the Gamecocks to finish the game with a total of -2 rushing yards on the day. Only Dakereon Joyner, a wide receiver-turned-running back, had positive stats logging 12 carries for 23 yards and one touchdown. Juju McDowell finished the game with five rushes for -1 yard and a touchdown as well to cap off a poor offensive showing for South Carolina.

“It was a disappointing outcome for South Carolina fans. I’m sure they’re bummed, but I thought Spencer played great,” Nagy said. “The staff there at South Carolina all offseason was talking about what a great offseason Spencer had, and you could see that there’s a lot of growth from last year’s tape.”

With a break in the schedule before Week 3’s daunting road trip against No. 1 Georgia, Rattler looks to put up even more impressive tape while this time leading his team to victory for the Gamecocks’ 2023 home opener against Furman on Saturday.