Shane Beamer analyzes how Spencer Rattler has grown since Oklahoma
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer noticed a lot of growth on the field in quarterback Spencer Rattler.
His play was up and down at Oklahoma but he raised his efficiency when he reunited with Beamer at South Carolina. But it’s the maturity factor that Beamer noticed in Rattler going into 2023.
“I think the biggest thing, one, is forget about what he did on the field,” Beamer said. “I knew what kind of person Spencer is. It wasn’t like I was bringing in a guy to play quarterback that I didn’t know.
“I spent two years with him at Oklahoma, a little bit longer if you count the recruiting process as well. He was committed when I got there, but I was with him in those two seasons. So I knew what kind of person he was.”
Rattler dealt with adversity prior to South Carolina, according to Beamer. He came into a loaded quarterback room as a much hyped prospect. Maybe too hyped given the expectations of Heisman and national championship.
“You guys will remember this because you covered Oklahoma, but he had dealt with adversity before at Oklahoma,” Beamer said. “It wasn’t like all of a sudden this year or last season, we had some tough losses and that was the first time he went through stuff or that 2021 was the first time he went through stuff.
“You guys also remember his first two games as a starting quarterback in the Big 12 as Oklahoma, we lost to Kansas State and Iowa State. You are not supposed to lose two conference games at Oklahoma. That doesn’t happen, not to mention two games to start the season when you are replacing Kyler Murray — or Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts as the quarterback.”
With Rattler replacing big named quarterbacks, overcoming getting benched and ultimately being molded into the quarterback he is today, Beamer was impressed.
“So seeing Spencer handle Jalen Hurts, see him get benched in the Texas game in 2021 and come back in the second half and lead us to a four-overtime win, I believe, told me everything I needed to know about Spencer as far as a competitor, leader, kind of person he was,” Beamer said.
“He’s made us better on and off the field. I saw enough. Forget about his talent level on the field because that speaks for itself, but the way he handled himself off the field during my two seasons there was really good for me to see. Not to mention his first year there was Jalen Hurts as the quarterback. So he got to see Jalen Hurts come in as a transfer quarterback. I don’t want to speak for Spencer, but I would imagine that helped him seeing that when he made the transition to Columbia.”
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