Spencer Rattler is still not over unceremonious Oklahoma exit

Spencer Rattler hopes Oklahoma fans don’t try to claim him if he succeeds in the NFL after the way he was driven out of Norman.

Things didn’t end well for Spencer Rattler and Oklahoma. He went from Heisman Trophy candidate to benched in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Now getting ready for his second season at South Carolina, he doesn’t want Oklahoma fans to jump back on his bandwagon when he gets to the NFL.

Rattler was on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast this week. When the topic of Ohio State fans claiming Joe Burrow as their own, Rattler was asked about Oklahoma fans potentially doing the same thing.

“I hope not,” Rattler said.

Spencer Rattler is still not over unceremonious Oklahoma exit

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

So yeah, Rattler doesn’t exactly sound over it.

He spent three seasons in Norman. In his first season as a starter in 2020, he threw for 3,031 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He went into the 2021 season as a Heisman Trophy favorite.

However, the arrival of freshman phenom Caleb Williams threw a wrench in his plans. Rattler wasn’t putting up Heisman numbers and Oklahoma’s offense didn’t look like the juggernaut Sooners fans expected. Then-head coach Lincoln Riley benched the incumbent starter in favor of Williams in the middle of the Red River Showdown against Texas .

By the end of the season Rattler was in the transfer portal and happy to be “away from a toxic situation,” ultimately landing at South Carolina. He spurned the NFL Draft to return for the 2023 season in hopes of improving his draft stock.

Oklahoma fans at the time definitely called for the quarterback change. And it looked like the right call given Williams’ clear ability. They just didn’t predict that Williams would be in the transfer portal by the end of the season as well, following Riley to USC.

Sooners fans would probably be quicker to claim Rattleer than Williams at this point.

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