Shane Beamer explains what attracted him to Spencer Rattler in the portal

Spencer Rattler was the biggest name transfer portal addition in the SEC heading into this season. The former Oklahoma Sooner and 2021 preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy elected to transfer to Columbia after his career in Norman went off the rails. Shane Beamer is now giving him the keys to the South Carolina program in his second year as head coach. With previous experience with Rattler at OU, he knew he had what it took to lead the Gamecocks.

Beamer raved about Rattler during a press conference in Atlanta at SEC Media Days. He said that while the talent is obviously there, it’s his experience that South Carolina will need the most.

“As far as Spencer, there’s a lot to like. Obviously the talent speaks for itself. The thing that was really attractive about (him) beyond that was just the fact that he’s played a lot of football,” said Beamer. “If you look at our quarterback room when I was here last year, Luke Doty was our starting quarterback and he had the most experience. I think he had started three games as a college quarterback and was really a freshman still in my mind. To be able to add a guy like (Rattler) who has the experience that he has? He’s been through the fire before. He’s won a conference championship. It was a no brainer.”

Coming out of high school as the No. 1 QB in On3’s 2019 Consensus Top QB Recruits, Rattler committed to Oklahoma and played two seasons as the starter for Lincoln Riley. His career had some high highs and some low lows while in the Big 12. The final straw came in the Red River Showdown when Rattler was benched for Caleb Williams, effectively ending his Sooner career.

Regardless of the opinions on him, Shane Beamer sees all the qualities he wants in a quarterback from Rattler. His accuracy, mobility and intangibles all fit Beamer’s model of an ideal QB.

“As far as what we look for in the quarterback position, it’s accuracy. First and foremost, you got to be accurate. In today’s time, you got to be athletic enough to get yourself out of trouble. That doesn’t mean you have to be Kyler Murray. You just got to be athletic enough to get yourself out of trouble. Then just that competitive spirit and the leadership qualities that you want at that position,” Beamer said. “From being around Spencer at Oklahoma, I knew he had what we were looking for.”

You can do much worse at quarterback in college football than a prospect like Rattler, especially considering the Gamecock’s predicament last season. He is a player that has thrown for over 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns on a 70.1% completion percentage. Considering the phase Shane Beamer’s program is on after his inaugural season, Rattler will give them national credibility. We’ll know what version of Rattler he is getting, though, when they open the year against Georgia State on September 3rd.