Spencer Rattler reflects on his time at South Carolina, what this journey meant to him

When Spencer Rattler entered the transfer portal in November 2021, he had no idea where he wanted to play next. Oklahoma had recently started Caleb Williams over him, so he wanted to explore his options.

He would have plenty of schools interested in him as a quarterback with a lot of potential. It was just going to come down to who could utilize him the right way along with the right coach and situation.

That coach and situation would be Shane Beamer and South Carolina. Beamer was in his first year as the head coach in Columbia when he led the Gamecocks to seven wins. Rattler saw the potential in what he was building and bought into it. He committed on Dec. 13, 2021.

“Never in a million years I thought I’d be in South Carolina. And it’s just funny how God works,” Rattler said. “Beamer was here, he wanted me to come here, and I believed what he was doing, and I still do. He’s the man for the job. He leads that locker room like nobody I’ve seen before and he’s got it headed in the right direction.”

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Fast forward two years later, there’s been some highs and lows, but Rattler has turned himself into one of the best quarterbacks the program has ever seen. He had a great year, throwing for 3,186 yards with 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

In all likelihood, last Saturday was Rattler’s final showing as a Gamecock. South Carolina finished this season with a 16-7 loss to arch rival Clemson, ending any bowl game hopes.

Rattler finishes his time at South Carolina with 6,212 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. That’s without mentioning the tear he went on last year to lead the Gamecocks to back-to-back wins over top 10 teams.

Since arriving in Columbia, Rattler said he’s become a better leader for his teammates. He was one of the few team captains this year. And that’s how he wants people to remember him. Just a guy who gave everything he had and helped the team win some big games.

“He’s a great leader, a great captain, just played hard every single Saturday and put it on the line, kept us on the game. I just want to be known as that,” Rattler said. “It’s a blessing to be mentioned with these guys that have played here before and I don’t take that lightly.”

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Looking ahead, Rattler will have plenty to come if he does enter the NFL Draft. He accepted an invite to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in February 2024. Then, he’ll continue to prepare for the draft in April in hopes of a team taking a chance on him.

But that’s not all for his future.

“Very happy to be part of this tradition and very happy I’ll be graduating from here December 18, so I’m an alumnus here, this is my home away from home so I’m always happy for that,” Rattler said.

At this time, Rattler hasn’t made any decisions yet. And that’s no surprise. He said he’ll make an announcement on his future when the time is right and take everything “day by day right now.”

If this is the end, what a ride it has been.

“It was a blessing,” Rattler said. “I wanted to come somewhere where the fan base was very loyal, always had each other’s backs, had their buddies’ backs. I feel like this fan base is the best in the country. Every game sold out. Win or loss, they’re showing up, supporting the players. One of the best, if not the best, fan bases in the country. I just wanted to let them know through my play, through my leadership, I put it all on the line and enjoyed every moment here. I’ll never forget it.”

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