Spencer Rattler 'lights out' during preseason camp
Clayton White can only shake his head and smile when talking about South Carolina’s quarterback Spencer Rattler.
The head shake is likely due to the defensive coordinator having to go against him every day in practice. The smile is because he soon won’t have to and other teams will get saddled with the frustrations he’s experienced the last few months.
“You guys read the press clippings saying lights out. That’s what it’s been. He doesn’t miss throws. It’s been good, man. It’s been fun. The DBs? If you’re a step behind or a step late,” he said. “I always say if you see the quarterback you’re going to see the completion. It’s been fun. It’s been impressive. I’m excited to watch him cut loose.”
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Rattler certainly showed what he can do in the final month of the season, completing 71.1 percent his passes for 8.9 yards per attempt and tossing 11 touchdowns to two picks.
He was integral in upset wins over Tennessee and Clemson, throwing for over 1,000 yards and putting up eight scores.
Rattler turned down an opportunity to go pro and come back, parlaying that into a strong offseason where he’s taken a step forward offensively.
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“He’s very locked in and he’s very in tune with what he’s doing. If he sees certain looks, he knows what to get to. He’s just locked in,” Trey Knox said. “And he’s very confident. That’s the biggest thing. A guy that talented and as confident as he is right now, I don’t think anybody can stop him.”
It’s been frustrating for South Carolina defensively, trying to combat Rattler and what he’s been able to do with the ball in his hands.
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“He’s definitely been giving us the best look. I don’t know if I’m going to play a better quarterback. He’s definitely been giving me the best look every day,” Marcellas Dial said. With the receivers we have, they’re giving me work too. I’ve definitely gotten better.”
Rattler is in his third college system, now in Dowell Loggains’ offense. The goal, Loggains said, is to tailor a system to what Rattler does well and allowing him to have a role in building a game plan week to week.
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“It’s not just about a really talented player doing what we tell him to do. This is a really talented player who we want to have command and want him to have ownership. We want him to be the absolute, undoubted leader of this offense. Which he has become,” Loggains said.
“It wasn’t that way when I got here. But he’s earned the respect of everyone. That’s why people are saying what they do about him. You guys know the talent. You see it every day, and you see it on tape last year. But it’s him feeling really comfortable about what we’re doing.”
Now Rattler will have to take that jump and apply it to another opponent. But he’s passed every test so far, it seems.
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“I’m happy to be his receiver right now along with the other guys. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a quarterback prepare this well and be on target like he is now,” Ahmarean Brown said. “He’s ready to show the world what he can do. He’s locked in right now.”
