Two Gamecocks make ESPN’s top 100 college football players list for 2023
Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. and Spencer Rattler came in at No. 91 and No. 93, respectively, on ESPN’s top 100 college football players list published this week.
Neither player was ranked in 2022, but Wells’ impressive SEC debut and Rattler’s end-of-season heroics earned them spots this year.
“His nickname is ‘Juice,’ and that’s what Wells provides for a South Carolina offense that played its best football at the end of last season,” ESPN wrote.
Wells’ first season with the Gamecocks saw him earn first-team All-SEC honors after cementing himself as Rattler’s top receiving target. He finished 2022 with 68 catches for 928 yards. In four games he went for 110 yards or more — including USC’s upset win over then-No. 5 Tennessee, where he logged 11 catches for 177 yards.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound senior also earned a preseason second-team All-SEC nod, as voted on by the league’s media members.
ESPN summarized Rattler’s journey from Oklahoma to South Carolina. It also pointed to his program-record six touchdown passes against the Volunteers as evidence of having figured things out at the end of last season. Rattler on the year had 4,026 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Both Gamecocks also made the Maxwell Award watch list, an honor given to the best player in college football.
Clemson has four players on the list: Jeremiah Trotter, linebacker (No. 21); Will Shipley, running back (No. 26); Barrett Carter, linebacker (No. 34); and Tyler Davis, defensive tackle (No. 66). Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall came in at No. 53.
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 10:48 AM.
