Gamecocks Connection Volume I: A conversation about Spencer Rattler

Hey, I’m Chris Clark with GamecockCentral.com, and welcome to the first edition of Gamecocks Connection.

What is this, you may be wondering? It’s a new feature we decided to launch that will consist of a summary of some of the latest happenings in Gamecock Country, reader questions, and one “main idea” that’s on my mind. Plus, there will be some other goodies along the way.

If you would like to get this piece directly to your inbox, you can get it for free here. 

Do you like listening to your Gamecocks news? Find our podcasts here. Or, watch us on YouTube.

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What’s on the docket today?

I’m talking about Spencer Rattler and his next step. Plus, a reader question about the next Gamecocks sports team to win a national championship and more.

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Get caught up.

Three quick things to know about your Gamecocks from the last few days.

 Six Power 5 programs reported spending over $1 million on buyouts for basketball during the 2021/22 fiscal year. South Carolina was one of them due to a $3 million payment to Frank Martin, who was dismissed in March of last year. (On3)

 Lamont Paris signed a quality transfer portal haul this offseason, but don’t forget the high schoolers. Collin Murray-Boyles is now rated by the On3 Industry Ranking – a weighted average of all four major recruiting services – as the number 102 prospect in the country for the 2023 class. 

 The Gamecocks baseball program is now in the midst of a four-game skid after dropping a midweek contest against North Florida on Wednesday. It was just the first loss this season against a team not in the top two quadrants of the RPI. Talmadge Lecroy returned to the lineup, but USC left 16 men on base and UNF got five runs in the third inning. The team’s still quite banged up, and a road series against Arkansas is next. USC does still sport one of the nation’s best records at 36-12 and could be in position to get healthier in the coming days.

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The main idea.

An assertion brought up by an Oklahoma football expert that name-dropped Spencer Rattler is on my mind today.

Carey Murdock recently moved SoonerScoop.com to the On3 network, which is where GamecockCentral resides. By the way, I’m thrilled to be on the same team as those guys.

During a conversation with JD PicKell on the On3 Roundtable, Murdock made an interesting assertion in discussing of OU’s starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel.

“Dillon Gabriel, look, he is not Spencer Rattler when he was at Oklahoma, okay?” said Murdock. “OU fans tend to think like he is Spencer Rattler and there’s a Caleb Williams now waiting in the wings to take over for him. He’s better than that, man. I mean, Dillon Gabriel is a really good quarterback.”

It seems that Rattler’s departure from Norman has – at times – resulted in some revisionist history across the sport. He was actually far from poor at the Big 12 program. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter in 2020.

We all know the story from there: Rattler was benched for the second half of the 2021 season’s rivalry game against Texas. His replacement, Caleb Williams, helped lead a comeback and took over for the remainder of the season as the starter. Rattler entered the transfer portal, where he eventually reunited with former Sooners staffer Shane Beamer in Columbia.

Caleb Williams is awesome, to be sure. He won the Heisman last season after following Lincoln Riley to Southern Cal. Had he not been on the OU roster, odds seem pretty good that Rattler would have rebounded from those inconsistencies, finished a very good career in Norman, and would be in the NFL right now.

Dillon Gabriel’s numbers last season were similar to what Rattler put up in 2020 with the Sooners, although he does have a couple of wildly productive years at UCF to point to as well. As good as five-star Oklahoma freshman Jackson Arnold could be, it’s hard to make the leap that he’s going to be Caleb Williams. 

I agree with Murdock that the two situations are not the same. This year’s five-star backup at OU is not Williams. Murdock is definitely a heck of a lot closer to the Oklahoma program than I am and had a front-row seat to the quarterback drama when Rattler was there. 

From my perspective, though, I do get the sense that Rattler’s time at OU is being viewed from a sometimes unfair lens. He still went 14-2 as a starter at his previous stop before was sat down. This isn’t the same high school kid you saw in that Netflix documentary. Who he was even in 2021 in Norman is not who he is now in 2023 in Columbia. 

Sure, Rattler also had some ups and downs in year one at South Carolina. We’ll all wonder what could have been had the offense that we saw in the final two games of the regular season had been unlocked in the preceding games. No need to relitigate that in this space. 

Either way, Rattler still has plenty he can improve upon. It’s my belief he knows that, too.

His teammates also seem to have taken notice. Talk to any of them, and they’re likely to mention Rattler in arguably surprising categories – given his status as the starting quarterback – like “surprise player” or “most improved player.”

“We see it every single day because we work with him but me I think you see he won the MVP for the spring,” Dakereon Joyner recently said. “Being with him every single day, he’s transitioned big time. He’s playing more confidently, playing with a little bit more swag. All his attributes are starting to go up even more and more and more and I love to see it because you started to see it towards the end of last year, him really starting to get into his groove and really starting to play like himself. And I believe coach — we call him D-Lo — Coach Loggains allowing Spencer to play like himself, allowing him to relax, take control of the offense, kind of be him.”

Rattler’s currently training back in his home state of Arizona before getting back to Columbia for the beginning of summer workouts in June. He seems more comfortable in what amounts to a “contract year” for him.

The talent is tantalizing. The moments in which it has been unlocked have been fun for Gamecock fans. 

Now, it’s about taking the next step. 

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A question from the crowd.

Q: Baseball and women’s basketball have won national championships at USC. What is the next sport to win a national title, and why?

– Chris from Columbia, South Carolina

My answer: It’s worth pointing out that Josh Goffi’s men’s tennis program is playing FSU in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, so his squad could quickly make my take outdated.

Shelley Smith’s women’s soccer program may be the safest pick here. 

In the last nine seasons, Smith has four quarterfinal (final eight) appearances to go along with a College Cup (final four) in 2017.

If you’re laying a bet, going with one that’s been that close, that many times in the past makes a lot of sense.

Want to have your Gamecocks question answered here? Email me: [email protected] or hit me on Twitter: @GCChrisClark. 

Members can ask on The Insiders Forum. FYI: Premium subscribers do get priority; it’s only fair!

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What we’re talking about.

Over on The Insiders Forum, GamecockCentral.com premium subscriber TrueGarnet is wondering where Gamecocks wide receiver Bryan Edwards ranks on USC’s all-time list of greats.​

It’s a fascinating discussion. The Conway native holds the program records for receptions and receiving yards. 

Yet, there are plenty of other candidates to make a “Mount Rushmore” of Gamecock pass-catchers. Sharpe. Jeffery. Samuel. Rice. McKinley. Brooks. Cooper. Perhaps you have another to throw in there.

If you are a GC subscriber, come on over to read and weigh in. What do you think?

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Garnet Trust for Good.

Sensationalist headlines would have you believing that NIL is an abject disaster and causing the collapse of college sports.

The reality is far different, especially in Columbia with Garnet Trust.

The USC women’s soccer team recently had a NIL opportunity at local nonprofit The Therapy Place.

The players decided on their own to continue going back week after week, because they believe in what that organization is doing for the children in the Midlands community.

A thanks and a request.

I sincerely thank you for reading this newsletter, and hope it’s informative and enjoyable for you.

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