How Spencer Rattler is developing a rapport with fellow South Carolina quarterbacks
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler flashed a smile as he walked by the door to the defensive meeting room inside the Long Family Football Operations Center.
He’s flanked by fellow signal-caller Luke Doty. Colten Gauthier, too, walked in lockstep with the group.
Rattler is nearing two months since he arrived at USC after a transfer from Oklahoma. Coaches have lauded his ability to connect with teammates, while also working himself into a more vocal role with the team.
That’s been put on increasing display with the beginning of spring practices last week.
“I think it’s just being natural, be authentic,” Rattler said Monday of how he’s handled meshing with South Carolina’s other quarterbacks. “We all have a good time when we’re hanging out (in the) QB room, workouts —we all lift together. It’s just a natural feel.”
Rattler, of all people, should have perspective on fitting into a crowded quarterback room. He spent a year waiting behind Jalen Hurts at OU. His tenure also effectively ended when five-star freshman Caleb Williams replaced him after an ineffective start to a Oct. 9 meeting with Texas.
Now, Rattler joins a Gamecocks quarterback contingent that includes incumbent starter Luke Doty, rocket-armed second-year Colten Gauthier and a pair of promising recruits in Braden Davis and Tanner Bailey.
“We’re all competing, of course,” Rattler continued. “We’re trying to help each other and make each other better. If I have any tips for the younger guys, I’m going to give it to them and try to help improve their game, and vice versa. If they see anything that I could work on, I’m open to anything.”
The biggest roster impact from Rattler joining the Gamecocks probably falls on Doty. It was only a year ago that Doty ran away with a spring quarterback battle in which head coach Shane Beamer said South Carolina’s other signal-callers needed to challenge Doty to even call it a competition.
In a perfect world, he’d be heading into his second season as a starter in Columbia. Instead, he’s likely headed for a developmental year behind Rattler in 2022. But there hasn’t been talk of transferring or any ill-will from Doty publicly.
He grinned from ear to ear throughout his nearly 15-minute press conference on Monday. Doty explained how he’d taken up what he described as meditation during his time away from football as a way to focus on himself. He noted he’s found more joy in the little things, like slipping on his cleats ahead of a morning practice.
“I think it was really just spending time with myself and being able to kind of be in the silence of everything,” Doty explained of finding peace away from football. “Really just taking some time to quiet all the noise around you.”
The incorporation of Rattler into South Carolina’s schematics has created a natural opening for work between those who’ve been in the system — i.e. Doty, Gauthier, etc. — and South Carolina’s newest quarterback.
Doty and Rattler traded words frequently during portions of spring practice that have been open to reporters. Gauthier and Davis, too, have been involved in the ongoing dialogue.
“It’s not easy walking into an SEC football program in January and getting acclimated, but he’s done a great job” Beamer said last week. “Spencer is a great young man. He’s really come in and just been himself, worked really, really hard and the guys around him respect that.”
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said he expects to name an official starter soon. It’d be a shock if Rattler wasn’t QB1. Doty more than likely will shift into the backup role, while Gauthier, Davis and Bailey — who will arrive on campus over the summer — will duke it out behind them.
However it shakes out, South Carolina’s quarterbacks are continuing to build a rapport as Rattler becomes more and more ingrained in what the Gamecocks hope to do next fall.
So far, so good.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 5:09 PM with the headline "How Spencer Rattler is developing a rapport with fellow South Carolina quarterbacks."
