Scouting Spencer Rattler: What to know about South Carolina QBs NFL Draft outlook
Spencer Rattler’s journey to being a potential 2023 NFL Draft prospect has been quite the journey. With a strong close to his redshirt junior season (his first at South Carolina), has he reestablished himself as a premier talent? We’ll be tracking Rattler’s performance from now through April here on our draft hub. Consider it a rolling scouting report on his play (and his draft stock).
2022 season updates
Nov. 26 (South Carolina 31, Clemson 30)
What a way for the Gamecocks to close their year. A week after upsetting Tennessee, South Carolina snapped Clemson’s 40-game home win streak. Rattler wasn’t as flawless as he’d been against the Vols — he fired an early pick six right into Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s arms — but he still finished 25-of-39 for 360 yards and three total TDs (two passing, one rushing).
Meanwhile, Spencer Rattler has six completions of 20+ on Clemson today. ESPN says it's the most vs. Clemson defense since at least 2011.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 26, 2022
Nov. 19 (South Carolina 63, Tennessee 38)
The Rattler once talked up as a potential first-round pick showed up in a big way during the Gamecocks’ blowout win. From The Athletic’s Aaron Suttles: “In total, Rattler completed 30-of-37 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns in the 63-38 win against the Vols. It’s the fourth-most passing yards in a game by a South Carolina quarterback, and the six touchdown passes set a program record.
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If that wasn’t enough, Rattler rushed for 16 yards and caught a 15-yard pass to set up a touchdown that put the Gamecocks ahead 28-14 in the second quarter.”
SPENCER RATTLER 🐍🚀 pic.twitter.com/SuFNfKMsXP
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 20, 2022
What you need to know
A five-star recruit and one of the prizes of the 2019 recruiting cycle, Rattler chose Oklahoma and head coach Lincoln Riley’s high-flying offensive attack. After redshirting (but playing sparingly in three games) as a freshman, Rattler won the Sooners QB job in 2020, then threw for 290 yards and four TDs in his first start, against Missouri State. He and the Sooners quickly crashed back to earth, losing their next two games to Kansas State and Iowa State, before rebounding to win eight straight. Included in that run were victories in the Big 12 championship (over Iowa State) and Cotton Bowl (over Florida). Rattler finished the year with 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
It wasn’t enough to hold his starting job through 2021, though. In the Sooners’ sixth game, a dramatic 55-48 win over Texas, Riley benched Rattler in favor of Caleb Williams. That order stuck: Williams as QB1, Rattler as QB2. Then, in late November, Riley departed to take the USC job, and Williams later followed him to the West Coast. Rattler, meanwhile, transferred to South Carolina. There, he reunited with Shane Beamer, formerly Oklahoma’s assistant head coach (2018-20).
Preseason scouting report
Rattler, ranked No. 7 on Dane Brugler’s list of the top draft-eligible underclassman, is getting a fresh start in Columbia after his time in Oklahoma. While he did show flashes of top-tier arm talent that led to his high ranking as a recruit, his play and decision-making were frustratingly inconsistent, leading to Rattler losing the starting job midseason to Williams (who’s now at USC) and his subsequent transfer.
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If Rattler displays more polish in his play and chops down on his mistakes while playing in the SEC, NFL teams will be more than willing to bet on the “wow” throws that have cropped up in his career. But if he continues his sporadic play outside the confines of a Lincoln Riley offense to prop him up, then that gamble becomes far less appetizing for NFL front offices to make. — Nate Tice
GO DEEPER
Gamecocks welcome Spencer Rattler … and their moment in the spotlight
(Photo: Jeff Blake / USA Today)
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