What does addition of Spencer Rattler mean for Gamecocks’ QB room? 3 initial thoughts
South Carolina’s starting quarterbacks rotated like a revolving door in 2021. The addition of Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler from the transfer portal Monday bolstered certainty to one of the Gamecocks’ more unstable positions.
Head coach Shane Beamer shuffled three quarterbacks through the Gamecocks’ 6-6 record. Each QB won two games as the starter, while all three left at least one game amid an underwhelming performance. Luke Doty didn’t finish the win over Vanderbilt, Zeb Noland went to the bench amid Texas A&M’s rout and Jason Brown was pulled in the shutout loss to Clemson.
Injuries played a factor, as initial starter Doty was in and out of the fold with a preseason foot injury until he underwent surgery in October, and graduate-assistant-turned-quarterback Noland hurt both his hand and knee at different points throughout the season.
Monday, South Carolina lost walk-on Connor Jordan to the transfer portal just before adding Rattler, meaning the Gamecocks would have six signal-callers heading into 2022 — if everyone who can stick around does.
USC loses Noland, who exhausted his eligibility, and gains four-star Delaware prospect Braden Davis. Freshmen Colten Gauthier and Jake Helfrich remained on the roster, with Brown and Doty, as of Monday night.
What could Rattler’s move to Columbia spell for South Carolina’s QB roster? Here are three factors to consider for 2022.
Spencer Rattler brings instant credibility, experience
As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Rattler led Oklahoma to a No. 6 finish in the Associated Press poll, a Big 12 championship, Cotton Bowl win and 9-2 record. He put up 3,031 yards on 67.5% passing with 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Rattler started all 11 games of 2020 on a campaign that moved into the most recent season a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite. Some pundits went as far to project him as a top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Statistics aside, Rattler’s 17 starts with the Sooners outpace any other quarterback on South Carolina’s roster by a long shot. Doty, who’s been with the Gamecocks for two seasons, has started six games (two in 2020, four in 2021). Brown started four, all in 2021.
Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t nearly as potent in Rattler’s sophomore year. Struggles against Texas on Oct. 9 led to the introduction of freshman phenom Caleb Williams, who the Sooners stuck with in Rattler’s place for the last six games of the season.
Rattler completed 74.9% of his passes for 1,483 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021, but attempted just 12 passes after losing the Oklahoma job in October, which catalyzed his entry into the transfer portal.
It’s unlikely Rattler would come to South Carolina to lose another battle for QB1, and the top-rated QB prospect in 2019 already has an upper hand on every other quarterback in Columbia off of sheer experience.
Yet, if next season goes well, it’s also unlikely Rattler — who will be a redshirt junior with three seasons of eligibility remaining — would stay for more than a single year if he returns to his 2020 form. He would be eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft, and it’s not unfair to say South Carolina should prepare for a one-and-done Rattler if he performs well.
Jason Brown has a decision to make
Rattler’s move to Columbia further complicated Brown’s position.
Brown transferred from FCS St. Francis for Beamer’s first season. He wasn’t South Carolina’s first choice in the preseason (that went to Doty), and when Noland suddenly jumped from graduate assistant to QB after Doty’s injury in August, it was evident Brown wasn’t the second choice either.
Brown handled disappointment with grace when he spoke to the media after Noland was announced game one starter, and he eventually got his chance stepping in for Noland to help the Gamecocks avoid a shutout against Texas A&M on Oct. 23.
Following Texas A&M, Brown started in South Carolina’s last four games. He helped the Gamecocks earn bowl eligibility with wins over Florida and Auburn, but was replaced by Noland in a 30-0 loss against Clemson to close out the regular season. It’s unknown whether Brown or Noland will start against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.
Brown could use his resume in SEC play (48-of-83, 609 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions) to aid his chances of finding a new school. If he elects to transfer, Brown would have immediate eligibility as a graduate, despite the fact he’s already transferred once.
What’s next for the rest — Luke Doty, Braden Davis, Colten Gauthier?
Like Brown, Doty’s place on the roster also became less comfortable with Rattler’s commitment.
Doty came to Columbia as the fourth-best dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2020. He earned the starting job late last year over a benched Collin Hill, amid a treacherous season for the 2-8 Gamecocks.
The 2021 quarterback job was all Doty’s until his foot was stepped on in practice just weeks before the start of the season. He never fully regained his strength despite playing a prominent role in five games this year before undergoing season-ending surgery following the Vanderbilt game on Oct. 16.
Doty will be a junior with three seasons of eligibility left due to the NCAA’s extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He could opt to enter the transfer portal and explore his options as a potential starter somewhere else. After all, Doty was the top option before his injury.
Davis, USC’s four-star quarterback commit from the class of 2022, is signing with the Gamecocks on Wednesday and just led Middletown High School to a Delaware Class 3A state championship win. He’s the No. 22 quarterback nationally in the class and has been committed to South Carolina since April. With as much time as he has to develop, he could benefit from Rattler’s presence in the quarterback room.
This leaves freshman Gauthier, who completed a 19-yard pass in the Gamecocks’ season opener against Eastern Illinois this season. He was a three-star prospect out of the 2021 class, though he received over 20 other Power 5 offers out of high school.
Gauthier enrolled last January and could choose to explore his options after seeing very little playing time in 2021. Jake Helfrich, a walk-on who joined the team over the summer after undergoing heart surgery, didn’t see the field this season.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
