NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler entered the college football scene with more media attention than most quarterbacks receive in a lifetime. He was ranked the top pro-style passer in the Class of 2019 and the star of the documentary series "QB1: Beyond the Lights".
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned from there. Rattler had an up-and-down career as the starter at Oklahoma and became a lighting rod of criticism at a program that expects elite quarterback play. After he was eventually replaced by Caleb Williams, Rattler transferred to South Carolina hoping that a change of scenery would revitalize his career.
His tenure with the Gamecocks would start with even more struggles, however. Rattler threw more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight) through the first 10 games of his junior year and hit an all-time low in a 38-6 loss to Florida in which the Gamecocks didn't score a touchdown.
But Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer, whose relationship with Rattler dates back to their time together at Oklahoma when Beamer was an assistant, knew his quarterback could weather the storm.
"Forget about what he did on the field -- I knew the kind of person Spencer is," Beamer said at SEC Media Days. "It wasn't like I was bringing in a guy to play quarterback that I did not know. I spent two years with him at Oklahoma, and a little bit longer if you count the recruiting process. He was committed when I got there, but I was with him for two seasons. I knew the kind of person he was. He had dealt with adversity before at Oklahoma. It wasn't like all of a sudden this past year we had some tough losses and that was the first time he went through stuff, or if 2021 was the first time he went through stuff."
After the Florida game is when Rattler flipped the switch. The Gamecocks simplified their offensive scheme and tailored it more to to their quarterback's strengths. The results were immediate. Rattler fired off six touchdown passes in the 63-38 win over then-No. 6 Tennessee and followed that up with two more in the 31-30 victory over rival Clemson. In his final three games, Rattler threw 10 touchdowns to three picks.
"We had a lot of personnel groupings in that Florida game," Rattler said at SEC Media Days. "Guys were a little confused. We just limited some things, made things easier and played to our strengths."
That opened Beamer's eyes; perhaps not coincidentally, he made an offensive coordinator switch from Marcus Satterfield to Dowell Loggains in the offseason.
"He [Rattler] played great down the stretch for a lot of reasons," Beamer said. "But I think one is that we did a great job of coaches to eliminate the clutter in his mind and just let him go play. That's what we need to do a better job of this year is just eliminate the clutter, let him go play and be more consistent offensively."
Now Rattler is back in the spotlight as a superstar in an SEC short of established talent under center. With the unwavering trust of his head coach, the future looks bright for Rattler heading into the season. Rattler's maturity and a switch at offensive coordinator has elevated South Carolina into the discussion as the biggest potential threat to Georgia in the SEC East. Challenging the reigning back-to-back champs is doable "when you have a quarterback who gives you an opportunity," Beamer said. "We have that quarterback and have great leadership."
Rattler found a new opportunity when he transferred to South Carolina. If things fall into place, he could translate that opportunity to the success many thought he would achieve as a hot-shot prospect.
