South Carolina lands Spencer Rattler, Austin Stogner from Oklahoma

Former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler announced his commitment to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Monday night — and will be bringing a teammate, tight end Austin Stogner, with him to boot.

Rattler, who hit the transfer portal after OU coach Lincoln Riley departed for Southern California, was formerly the No. 1 quarterback in 2019’s recruiting class. He put together a stellar 2020 campaign, throwing for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions, which garnered him Heisman Trophy hype and made him one of the first college football players to cash big checks off of the new name, image, and likeness rules. However, Rattler struggled to meet the moment and was eventually benched in favor of Caleb Williams, ending the year with 1,483 yards and just 11 touchdowns to five interceptions.

Stogner, who was a former four-star prospect, caught 14 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns while also being named to the Associated Press’ All-Big 12 second team.

What does this mean for South Carolina? Well, for starters, it’s a great sign of Shane Beamer’s ability to go and get some big fish out of the transfer portal, which is becoming increasingly important in the sport and is especially helpful to a rebuilding program like South Carolina. Granted, Beamer’s previous stint as an assistant at Oklahoma is what helped him bring these players to Columbia, but that’s just it — you need to be able to get these wins when you’re in position to do so, and Beamer did exactly that.

As for the quarterbacks room, the Gamecocks finally have a legitimate Division 1 starter in the mix, and Rattler instantly becomes one of the most talented QBs South Carolina has ever put on the field. Stogner, as well, could be a huge boost to what has been an inconsistent and disappointing receiving corps that is in desperate need of a reliable star.

By pretty much any measure, this is a huge recruiting win for South Carolina. I’m well aware Rattler had his struggles this season, but luring an athlete of his caliber to Columbia after the horrendous offensive performances the Gamecocks put out all year is nothing short of impressive, even with Beamer’s previous connection. South Carolina will likely get some recruiting momentum off of this move as well, which will be interesting with the early signing period coming to an end tomorrow and National Signing Day just a couple months away.

For the first time this season, I can say I finally feel a sense of hope for this offense, because the need to get a legitimate quarterback out of the portal was so absolutely dire. One box, at least, has been checked. The remaining elephant in the room, at least for most fans, is the employment status of offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield. It’s clear by now that if any move is to be made, it will be after the bowl game, so we’ll just have to wait and see on that front. Still — the Gamecocks got a huge pair of wins from the portal last night.