Spencer Rattler shares advice for quarterbacks transferring into the SEC

When Spencer Rattler started his career at Oklahoma in 2019, only one Big 12 team held opponents to less than 200 passing yards per game. He took a big step up last year, though, by transferring to South Carolina and facing two of the top 10 passing defenses in the country.

As he gets ready for Year 2 with the Gamecocks, Rattler shared his biggest advice for quarterbacks thinking about transferring into the SEC. Those strong defenses were a big part of his message.

“Just be ready to play some of the best defenses every single week, prepare at a high level and enjoy it,” Rattler said at SEC Media Days.

Three SEC teams held opponents below 200 yards per game passing, including Texas A&M and Kentucky — both of which lost to South Carolina. Rattler put together his best year since the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign at Oklahoma, throwing for 3,026 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Spencer Rattler: ‘The whole landscape has changed’ since his freshman year

Rattler is now gearing up for his fifth year of college football thanks to the COVID-19 waiver, and he’s seen plenty of changes across the game. Not only has the transfer portal — which, of course, led him to South Carolina — become a bigger part of the landscape, but NIL has come about, as well.

A lot has happened in a short amount of time, but Rattler said he’s glad he could witness it first-hand. He told On3’s Andy Staples he understands just how much is changing.

“I think a lot different,” Rattler said on Andy Staples On3 Thursday. “The whole landscape has changed. I’ve been lucky enough to see it all change and go through it. I’ve been one of those guys, along with others, that have got to see everything.”

With how quickly everything unfolded with the portal and the beginning of the NIL era, there could be some stress that comes with it. But Rattler noted he’s not that old, meaning he’s got plenty to look forward to in the future.

“I still feel like I’m a young guy,” Rattler said. “I’m 22, still pretty young. Yeah, I’m young. I’ve got a lot more life ahead of me, and just been enjoying it.”

Rattler will look to build off last year when the 2023 season gets underway against North Carolina in primetime. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

On3’s Jesse Simonton contributed to this report.