SEC Media Days: Spencer Rattler says he’s “at the top” for SEC quarterbacks

South Carolina football quarterback Spencer Rattler was one of the most sought-after interviews on Thursday at SEC Media Days. One of his memorable interview responses came when he said he would put himself “at the top” of the SEC quarterback hierarchy.

That statement in and of itself is not very significant as quarterbacks have to play with a high level of self-confidence. However, Spencer Rattler’s football journey is important context when considering if #7 truly has a claim to the conference’s top spot.

Rattler is one of the most talented signal callers in the college game. His 5-star rating out of high school and Elite-11 Quarterback MVP honors were well-deserved as Rattler’s arm talent is as good as anyone in the country.

After a very good redshirt freshman year at Oklahoma, Rattler’s play slipped a little, and he was replaced by future Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Rattler transferred to South Carolina and struggled to adapt to then-offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s system. Many prematurely wrote off Rattler as a talented player who just couldn’t put it all together at the college level.

Then the end of the Gamecocks’ 2022 season happened.

Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks absolutely obliterated the College Football Playoff-hopeful Tennessee Volunteers, and Spencer Rattler was the biggest reason why. With Satterfield instructed to keep things simple on offense, Rattler put together one of the best performances in the history of college football with a 30-37, 438-yard, 6-touchdown evisceration of the Vols. He also added 16 yards rushing and 16 yards receiving.

His strong play continued the next week against another orange rival as the Gamecocks also knocked Clemson out of the College Football Playoff discussion. Rattler threw for 360 yards and scored three total touchdowns while hitting 65% of his passes. His second-straight big game was also his top target’s second-straight big game as Juice Wells cemented his All-SEC status with 311 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 touches.

273 yards and 2 touchdowns came from Rattler in the Gamecocks’ final game against Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. The Gamecocks scored 38 points to bring their three-game total to 132 points against the country’s 5th, 8th, and 21st-ranked teams in college football. The strong finish propelled South Carolina football into the final AP poll.

Rattler could have gone pro as a late draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after the strong showing to finish the 2022 campaign, but the big-armed QB elected to return to Columbia to lead the South Carolina football program for one more season. If he can show more of what Gamecock fans witnessed in his last three contests, Rattler will hear his name called early next April

247Sports’ Brad Crawford asked Rattler about his improvement focuses as he prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft and followed up that question by asking Rattler where he would rate himself in relation to the other starting quarterbacks in the SEC. Rattler’s response mirrored the confidence of a player who was dominant in his most recent game action.

After acknowledging that he is continuing to work on everything about his game to help both his team and his draft stock, Rattler said he puts himself “at the top” when ranking the quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference.

While this confident response may sound a bit too strong, there is a realistic scenario that could play out this fall in which Spencer Rattler is the best quarterback in the conference, especially in relation to the NFL Draft.

Now under new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, Spencer Rattler is comfortable. For a player as talented as the South Carolina football standout, comfort typically is directly related to on-field results.

Earlier this offseason, Rattler and Wells referred to Loggains’ offensive system as the “just play ball” offense, and both players are more confident and more comfortable in their new scheme.

Loggains has never called plays at the college level, but he is extremely well-respected in the coaching industry. If that respect translates to success dialing up ball plays, Rattler’s 2023 season could be one for the record books.

Rattler has some competition this season to see which SEC quarterback goes first in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, also a former transfer who lost his job at his previous school and struggled in the early goings with his new program, is in a similar boat to Rattler as an uber-talented player with a lot of NFL Draft stock riding on his performance in 2023.

Fellow SEC gunslingers Jayden Daniels (LSU), KJ Jefferson (Arkansas), Devin Leary (Kentucky), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), and Carson Beck (Georgia) are hoping to put themselves into the first half of the 2024 NFL Draft with strong seasons, as well.