South Carolina football: Realistic expectations for Spencer Rattler in 2023

Right when you thought Spencer Rattler would be moving on, he comes right back to the college ranks to be a thorn in the side of SEC teams in 2023. South Carolina football will be a problem with him back.

At the tail end of a somewhat successful Oklahoma career, he was benched in favor of Caleb Williams and decided to leave the program because, well, the writing was on the wall.

Shane Beamer decided to reach out and bring him in to start at quarterback with an opening at the position and he immediately had a positive impact. He passed for 3,026 yards and 18 touchdowns with 12 picks and a 66 percent completion rate while leading the Gamecocks to back-to-back wins over top-10 teams in the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Gamecocks now bring him back for yet another and the expectations should be sky-high.

How high, though?

What should South Carolina football expect from Rattler?

Rattler just had a 3,000-yard campaign in his first year in the SEC and he’s only going to get better with another year in the system, getting used to his new conference.

I see him passing for over 3,500 yards and 20-plus touchdowns while cutting his interceptions down to single digits. He could also improve his accuracy to nearly 70 and I think he’s more than capable of that, he just needs to avoid getting in his own head.

Rattler brings back his top receiver, Antwane Wells Jr., to go along with a five-star freshman in Nyckoles Harbor who should help elevate that offense.

We’ve seen flashes of Rattler being great in a Gamecock uniform but I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface which is why him coming back for one more year was such a wise move. He’s one of the most naturally-gifted quarterbacks in the nation and he’s going to show that in 2023.

My final stat prediction would be 3,600 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.