A former five-star recruit of the Oklahoma Sooner, Spencer Rattler has always seemed destined for the NFL.
Rattler was the top quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class, only to see himself lose out to Kyler Murray for the starting job in Norman.
Now a member of South Carolina after transferring from the Sooners, the expectation has long been that Rattler would declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. That’s not going to happen.
The Arizona native took to social media Tuesday evening to announce that he is returning to Columbia for his senior season.
The No. 3 quarterback on Sportsnaut’s big board for the 2023 NFL Draft, Rattler’s decision is going to have wide-ranging ramifications. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young of Alabama are the only quarterbacks guaranteed to go in the first round of the annual event.
With Rattler now returning to college, Will Levis (Kentucky) and Anthony Richardson (Florida) will likely compete to be the third quarterback off the board.
- Spener Rattler stats (2022): 66% completion, 3,012 passing yards, 21 total TD, 12 INT
For Rattler, this decision was likely all about improving his stock for the 2024 NFL Draft. Though, there’s a lot of factors that will go into that.
Outside of Stroud and Young, the 2023 class at quarterback is seen as weak. That will not be the case the following season with the likes of reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams of USC joining the likes of Drake Maye (North Carolina), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) as likely top-end prospects.
This will have a role in how NFL teams view Spencer Rattler. The same thing can be said about his performance for South Carolina as a senior in 2023.