Spencer Rattler was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Instead, he found himself without a starting job and elected to not enter the draft at all. Rattler heads into the season as one of the most polarizing prospects in college football, regardless of position.

He’s been ranked as high as the No. 3 draft-eligible quarterback in the country while he doesn’t even appear on other top lists of the same type.

While Rattler had his struggles back in Norman with Oklahoma, he enters a very new environment in Columbia, South Carolina — a place where he could see his eventual resurgence.

What went wrong for Spencer Rattler in 2021

Hardly anyone saw Rattler taking the type of tumble he did in 2021. He had sky-high preseason expectations for himself and the Sooners last year. But it quickly became clear that Oklahoma wasn’t going to be successful offensively with Rattler at the helm.

Oklahoma faced the Tulane Green Wave in the first game of the season, one that was largely projected to be a bloodbath with the No. 2 team in the country coming out on top. While the Sooners did get the victory, the 40-35 final score was anything but what they had drawn up and Rattler was outperformed by Tulane freshman quarterback Michael Pratt.

Rattler showed some decision-making issues and missed on some easy throws, something that popped up from time to time throughout the rest of his final season at Oklahoma. He completed 30-of-39 passes for 304 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, adding a score on the ground. Pratt was 27-of-44 passing for 296 yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.