Spencer Rattler explains how he grew as a player, person at South Carolina

Spencer Rattler‘s college football career has come to an end. He has since had some time to reflect on the past two seasons he spent in a South Carolina jersey, and has nothing but fond memories of his time in Columbia, no matter his team’s win-loss record.

“Overall, becoming a better leader. Going through last year and being new, I wanted to show who I am and gain the trust of my teammates,” Rattler said. “I was very lucky to be voted a team captain last year, and this year as well. It’s an honor to be a captain at this university and I don’t take that lightly.

“I’m just happy I could gain the trust of my teammates and build so many close relationships that we’ll be close 10-20 years down the line. Creating relationships, becoming a better player, I feel like under Coach [Shane] Beamer and then when Dowell [Loggains] comes in, he’s taught me so much about the game, him and Sean Ryan. I just learned so much about the game. I felt like we had a good year offensively, obviously not good enough to win all these games, but better than it has been.”

In two seasons with the Gamecocks, Rattler finished with 6,212 yards, 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He helped the Gamecocks achieve a 13-12 record over the past two seasons, including two memorable wins against Tennessee and Clemson to close the 2022 season.

Before USC, Rattler was a starter at Oklahoma in 2020, leading the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship in the same year. However, he was benched midway through the 2021 season in favor of Caleb Williams, which left him in search of a new school to finish out his career with and it didn’t take long for him to land on South Carolina.

Ultimately, Rattler chose to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility and put his name into the 2024 NFL Draft. This decision comes after Rattler put together arguably the most productive year of his career, throwing for 3,186 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also going for four more scores on the ground.

As it stands, projections see Rattler landing as a late day two, early day three draftee — a far cry from the expectations surrounding him coming before his Oklahoma career. The five-star status, starring in a Netflix show. Two years later, he was benched and subsequently forced into the transfer portal, but Rattler certainly made the most out of every opportunity he’s received, regardless of his team’s win-loss record at the end of the day. Look for that to continue as he transitions to the pros.