How Spencer Rattler is prepared to continue the Oklahoma football Heisman legacy

Spencer Rattler takes over as the Oklahoma football starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman in 2020 but he’s prepared to continue the Sooners’ Heisman legacy.

Oklahoma football has seen some terrific quarterback play under head coach Lincoln Riley. Baker Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy. Kyler Murray stepped in as his replacement the following year and won the Heisman for himself.

Riley’s Sooners then landed Jalen Hurts for his final year of NCAA eligibility and he was a finalist for the most prestigious individual award in the sport. Now it’s Spencer Rattler‘s turn.

Rattler stands out in comparison to his predecessors simply by his path to the starting job. While Mayfield, Murray and Hurts all transferred after initial stops prior to arriving in Norman, Rattler hitched his wagon to Riley and the Sooners out of the gate. Subsequently, he’s the first homegrown starter he’ll have under his watch in four seasons with the program.

By proxy of his path to the starting job, Rattler has no experience to speak of. He appeared in only three games for the Sooners last season, throwing only 11 passes before redshirting. Now as a redshirt freshman, he’ll be thrown into the fire and expected to keep Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff mix.

That’s no small feat for a young player to accomplish but, in a season shrouded in a multitude of uncertainty, there is at least one surety: All signs are pointing to Spencer Rattler being the next Heisman-candidate quarterback produced by Oklahoma football.

Spencer Rattler was built to thrive at the helm of Oklahoma football.

The reasons for Rattler being primed to succeed with the Sooners start with what he brings to the table as a young prospect. A 5-star recruit in the 2019 class, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback and No. 11 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Rattler built quite a reputation for himself in his hometown of Phoenix.

Reeling off one accomplishment and accolade after another — winning Elite 11 MVP, throwing for over 11,000 career yards, etc. — Rattler committed to Oklahoma in 2017 and maintained that decision until he arrived in Norman. As such, there is no denying the pedigree of the player who is taking over, one matched only by Murray in terms of his predecessor’s hype as a recruit.

What makes Rattler fascinating for Oklahoma, though, is how ideally suited he is for Riley’s offense. The Sooners have thrived with playmakers who are accurate to all levels of the field, especially when on the move, and who can create time and plays with their legs. While Rattler isn’t Murray or Hurts, he fits that mold to perfection.

By all accounts, the redshirt freshman quarterback is simply a natural when he’s at the helm of an offense. He’s not the most overwhelming physical presence by any stretch but he darts balls to all of his spots and never looks uncomfortable when facing any kind of pressure. And all of that slots perfectly into Riley’s quick-hitting offense that feeds the ball all over the field and keeps opposing defenses guessing with motion and movement.

The only knock you can have on Rattler isn’t fit or talent but, rather, his lack of experience. But at the same time, the Sooners young quarterback spent all of last season in the program, getting his body ready for a college football season, learning the playbook and learning from a quarterback in Hurts who, by all accounts, was a tremendous mentor and a well-traveled voice in the sport.

It’s always uneasy to stake your claim that a player — especially a redshirt freshman — who has barely seen the field at the FBS level is going to come in and dominate. At the same time, when the perfect storm is forming between player, system and situation, you’d be foolish to not take notice.

Rattler taking over Oklahoma football is that perfect storm.

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