Spencer Rattler arrives on campus. What to expect from South Carolina’s QBs this spring
South Carolina’s lauded signal-caller has arrived.
Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler is officially in Columbia, according to his tweet of a red pushpin emoji he posted Sunday night.
“That familiarity definitely helped out,” Rattler’s longtime quarterback coach Mike Giovando told The State in December as to how the former five-star recruit landed with coach Shane Beamer at South Carolina. “It helped to have that little bit of comfort with the guy that you have the potential to be playing for. You kind of know what (Beamer) is all about.”
Rattler’s tweet Sunday technically originated from West Columbia, but his arrival in the area signifies the latest development in an offseason of quarterback overhaul within the South Carolina program.
At this time last year, South Carolina watched former top-70 recruit Ryan Hilinski enter the transfer portal. Collin Hill had also opted to move on, despite being afforded another year of eligibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The only scholarship quarterbacks left a year ago? Luke Doty and midyear enrollee Colten Gauthier.
This year, though, Rattler joins a room that’s deep and vast in skillsets. Doty is back, though it’s unclear how much he’ll be able to do come the start of spring practices March 15 as he recovers from foot surgery. Gauthier, too, is back for the time being.
Gone are Zeb Noland and Jason Brown. Noland finally extinguished his eligibility and he will work as a Gamecocks graduate assistant this fall. Brown, who came to USC via St. Francis, left the program shortly after Rattler’s decision to transfer in and has since landed at Virginia Tech.
“The past year at South Carolina was just unbelievable,” Brown told The State after announcing his commitment to Virginia Tech. “... Gamecock nation was incredible. Coaches were incredible. Teammates were incredible. I love South Carolina. I truly didn’t want to leave. But I know that it would have been real hard for me to win that spot and play.”
Returners and Rattler aside, South Carolina has done its due diligence in the quarterback room. The Gamecocks inked four-star passers Braden Davis — who is already on campus — and former Oregon commit Tanner Bailey.
Bailey was the surprise of the 2022 class, signing with the Gamecocks not long after Mario Cristobal jumped from Oregon to Miami. He visited Indiana and debated a handful of other offers before announcing his commitment to South Carolina on Dec. 18.
“To get one elite quarterback, that’s pretty cool,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said in December. “To get two, that’s really cool. To get three, that’s unreal. It’s unreal, all three of them (Rattler, Davis and Bailey).”
Rattler remains the front-runner to be the starter in Columbia this fall. After all, there aren’t many, if any, blue-chip quarterback transfers who leave one school for another in hopes of being a backup.
The former Sooner has quickly breathed life into a South Carolina program that overachieved en route to a 7-6 debut season for Beamer, culminating in a 38-21 romp of North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.
Rattler had his detractors at Oklahoma. There have always been persistent rumblings about what kind of teammate he was then and had been in high school. Beamer put the kibosh on those rumors during his early signing day press conference.
“I don’t know who writes the narrative or comes up with the narrative,” Beamer said. “All I know is what I saw during my time with him in Oklahoma and I saw a guy that wants to win, that is immensely talented (and) comes from a great family.”
South Carolina’s offense is in need of an infusion. The Gamecocks finished near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in most every crucial offensive category.
Rattler’s arrival Sunday signifies the start of what Beamer and his staff will be an offensive reinvention this spring and headed toward the 2022 season.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 7:29 PM.
