Will Oklahoma Fans Claim Former QB Spencer Rattler? 'I Hope Not,’ He Says

At one time, Spencer Rattler was looked at as the next great Oklahoma quarterback — but things didn’t exactly go as planned.

The former 5-star prospect began his 2021 season with the Sooners as one of the top Heisman favorites in the country, but was eventually replaced by Caleb Williams in the middle of the season as the starting signal-caller.

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At the end of the year, Rattler then transferred to South Carolina — and that is where he wants to be identified with moving forward.

On the Barstool Sports podcast “Bussin’ With the Boys,” Rattler was asked this week if he thought OU fans would try to claim him as one of their own once he moved to the NFL.

He simply responded, “I hope not.”

Spencer Rattler hopes Oklahoma fans don’t claim him if he goes in the 1st round

If a player transfers away from your college, can you claim them in the NFL? @BussinWTB pic.twitter.com/XZpoLQ8EKQ
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) March 21, 2023

“The situation happened how it happened,” Rattler said when asked if there was still bad blood. “Obviously, I was salty about it. I’m a competitor, I want to be out there playing. And we were winning games, like I said. Like, we were undefeated at the time where I got benched. So I’m like ‘damn.’ But hey man, you live and you learn. God sent me here (South Carolina) for a reason, that’s how I look at it.”

Rattler’s fall from grace with the Sooners is certainly a period that won’t be soon forgotten in Norman.

After a very encouraging first year as starter, in which he threw 3,301 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to a Big 12 title in a shortened 2020 season, Rattler’s play was very inconsistent in his second year at the helm.

His second pass of the 2021 season was intercepted. At one point in the game against West Virginia, some fans in the OU student section began to chant, “We want Caleb.”

Despite still winning games as Rattler mentioned, then-head coach Lincoln Riley decided to make the move to Williams with OU trailing 28-7 in the Red River Showdown against Texas.

Williams then led Oklahoma to a comeback win and started the remainder of the season, then followed Riley to USC after he took the head coaching job with the Trojans.

To his credit, Rattler played the backup role to Williams mostly as well as could be expected given the circumstances before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal prior to the Alamo Bowl.

Last year with South Carolina, he threw for 3,026 yards and 18 touchdowns to help the Gamecocks win eight games.

Rattler then decided to put off a professional career for another season, choosing to return to South Carolina for the 2023 campaign as his second year as the starting QB under head coach and former OU assistant Shane Beamer.

When Rattler’s time in the NFL does come, it’s safe to say “Oklahoma” won’t be written next to his name.