Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler Enters NCAA Transfer Portal, UCLA Potential Landing Spot
The transfer market is starting to grow now that the regular season has come to a close, and the Bruins could find themselves looking for a great deal of additions yet again.
One of those potential additions could be Spencer Rattler.
The now-former Oklahoma quarterback entered the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, more than a month removed from losing his starting job with the Sooners. Rattler came into the 2021 season as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner and potential No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but some complications throughout the season seemingly derailed both of those pursuits.
So with Rattler now looking for a new home, many have mentioned UCLA football as his next potential destination.
Sports Betting Dime gives UCLA the second-best odds of landing Rattler at +600, trailing only his hometown team Arizona State at +350. Oddsmakers view Texas A&M and Ole Miss as the next most-likely destinations, with +750 and +900 odds, respectively.
With quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson potentially leaving for the NFL Draft this offseason, the Bruins will need a new starting quarterback moving forward. Former Washington transfer Ethan Garbers started in place of Thompson-Robinson when he was unavailable against Utah on Oct. 30, but there could be a spot in the quarterback room for another face to join the fray.
In an interview with FanNation Now's Claudette Montana Pattison, NFL Draft Bible Lead Senior Scout Lornez Leinweber said he sees Westwood as a possible landing spot for Rattler due to coach Chip Kelly's prestige and history with Thompson-Robinson and Marcus Mariota.
"I think Chip Kelly also has the NFL background," Leinweber said. "He's no stranger to high-octane offenses that feature the quarterback and allow the quarterback to put up numbers."
Rattler finished 2021 with 1,483 yards, 11 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 155.5 passer rating through the air in addition to 77 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in nine games, losing his starting job to Caleb Williams in October. In 2020, Rattler played 11 games and threw for 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns, seven interceptions with 160 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
UCLA did not offer Rattler a scholarship coming out of high school, but by the time Kelly signed on in November 2017, Rattler had already committed to Oklahoma. Rattler was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback and No. 11 recruit in the class of 2018 when he was at Pinnacle HS (AZ), according to the 247Sports Composite.
Moving out west could present Rattler with an interesting opportunity, as his former coach at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley, just signed on to become the next head coach at USC on Sunday. Riley benched Rattler in the middle of the Sooners' rivalry game against Texas on Oct. 9, and joining the Bruins means that Rattler could have the chance to face his old coach in a rivalry matchup between the Bruins and Trojans.
Anywhere Rattler goes next would likely be looked at as a one-year stop, where he would try to recoup his draft stock, but he does have three years of eligibility remaining.
UCLA has added nine transfers to its roster in the last two recruiting cycles, and Kelly has spoken at length about the importance of that path in building any college team in the modern lands
Rattler went 15-2 as a starter at Oklahoma.
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