Greg McElroy excited to see Spencer Rattler play in up-tempo offense

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler had a great ending to the 2022 season. The Oklahoma transfer tossed 10 touchdown passes with three interceptions over his final three games, while helping the Gamecocks to back-to-back wins over top 10 teams.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes Rattler has a chance to pick up where he left on in 2023.

McElroy recently spoke about what he expects from Rattler this season on the Always College Football podcast. While he expects Rattler to have a really good season, he warned that the senior must be more consistent.

“A guy who I’m excited about, but also people have a tendency to forget what happened in the first nine games of the season last year — Spencer Rattler,” McElroy said. “Not a great year if you take into account the first nine or 10 games. Now if you take into account the last three, the guy’s been cooking with gas.

And we know that there was a bit of an adjustment period for him moving from Lincoln Riley’s offense at Oklahoma to what they did last year under Marcus Satterfield. They used a lot of verbiage, a lot of terminology, long play calls. Well, in steps Dowell Loggains.”

As McElroy mentioned, Loggains is entering his first season as the offensive coordinator at South Carolina, after spending the last two seasons as the tight ends coach at Arkansas.

He also has NFL experience, having served as an offensive coordinator for multiple teams in the National Football League. McElroy believes Rattler can excel in Loggains’ system.

“It’s going to be a little bit more similar to what Arkansas did last year. That’s where Dowell Loggains was. He now moves over. It’s going to be quicker, it’s going to be tempo. It’s going to be simplified play calling that will take a little bit off the shoulders of Spencer Rattler,” McElroy said. “Which will allow him to play more instinctively and allow him to regain the confidence that he had at one point three years ago, when he was unanimously in the offseason heading into ’21, maybe the best player in college football.”

Rattler also has talented players around him, led by receiver Juice Wells.

According to McElroy, Rattler and Wells have a chance to be one of the best duos in the SEC and Rattler could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season.

“He finished with a flurry. He also has an excellent wide receiver to rely on in Juice Wells, who might very well be as good as anybody in the conference at wide receiver. As your dependable, No. 1 guy, he might take the top spot, or at least he’s in the mix amongst the best in the league,” McElroy said.

“I think with another year developing a rapport with Spencer Rattler, that tandem could accelerate towards the top. But I’m bullish on Spencer Rattler. I just want to see him stretch it out over the course of a 12 or 13 game season, as opposed to a four or five game season like he did down the stretch last year.”