SEC intel: Why there's a ton of optimism, excitement at South Carolina regarding Spencer Rattler

Following the release of the preseason Coaches Poll last week, I picked out five teams that were left out of the rankings that you could make a legitimate case deserved to be in there. South Carolina was one of them.

A week later, I’m even more intrigued by the Gamecocks and believe even more so that South Carolina is in line for a solid year. It’s largely due to the feedback I continue to get on South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. Simply put, there’s a lot of internal optimism at South Carolina about the outlook for Rattler heading into this season.

After a strong close to his first year in Columbia (with 1,044 passing yards and 11 total touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ final three games), Rattler had a terrific spring under new South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and has continued to build on that since fall camp began earlier this month.

There’s a legitimate belief at South Carolina that the former Oklahoma transfer could be poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this season.

“He’s playing like a man possessed,” one source told On3.

During South Carolina’s first fall scrimmage this past weekend, Rattler accounted for at least a couple touchdowns and some big plays down the field. One touchdown was a 75-yarder to wide receiver O’Mega Blake.

Overall, the feedback on Rattler’s scrimmage performance was that he “looked as sharp as ever.” He did that even without All-SEC wide receiver Juice Wells, who’s currently out with an injury.

“Everything’s slowed down for him,” a source said. “He’s looking like the guy you always thought he could be.”

Wells, who had 68 catches for 928 yards and six touchdowns last season, will obviously be a top weapon for Rattler. It also seems like senior Xavier Legette is set for a breakthrough season.

After identifying Legette in late April as a top spring practice standout, I’ve continued to hear good things about Legette during fall camp. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Legette, who posted 18 catches last year, is considered one of the top pound-for-pound athletes on the Gamecocks’ roster and could end up as the No. 2 option in the passing game behind Wells. 

“He’s got a chance to be a real dude,” a source said.

There’s also some buzz about Blake, a Class of 2021 three-star recruit who had one catch last year.

It’s also worth noting that Rattler may quietly have one of the better tight end groups in the SEC. Western Kentucky transfer Joshua Simon and Arkansas transfer Trey Knox are both already on the radar for NFL scouts as potential 2024 NFL draft picks. At least some scouts view Simon, a 2022 All-Conference USA selection at Western Kentucky, as someone who could end up going in the first four rounds.

Combining that talent with the progression of Rattler and the confidence in Loggains, South Carolina seems very much set to be better on offense than last year’s group that ranked ninth in the SEC in total offense. The belief internally is that the Gamecocks’ offense, led by this current version of Rattler, has the potential to be “explosive.”

South Carolina opens its season against star QB Drake Maye and No. 21 North Carolina Sept. 2.

“This is the best camp I’ve been a part of,” Rattler told local reporters Tuesday. “Offensively, I love everything we’re doing. I don’t feel any growing pains myself. The group has been jelling. We’ve been playing fast. We have a ton of explosive plays and touchdowns this camp, way more than last year for sure. I feel like it’s a complete turn. But we’ve got to come out and do it and prove it, so we’re going to just keep stacking days, keep gelling and keep creating that chemistry.”