Where will Spencer Rattler move to? Best possible landing spots for former Oklahoma QB to scoop up NFL Draft stock

Spencer Rattler enters the 2021 college football season as the starting quarterback for Oklahoma, the favorite player to win the Heisman Trophy and a No. 1 contender in the 2022 NFL Draft.

By mid-season, he wasn’t that sort of thing anymore. Now, he’s not even a member of the Sooners show.

Rattler announced on Monday that he’s moving out of Oklahoma. This seems to be a foregone conclusion. After all, he’d lost his starter job to freshman Caleb Williams and it would be tough to get it back even with coach Lincoln Riley gone great.

Instead, Rattler will look elsewhere to rebuild his career. He needs a fresh start and can get there without facing the uncertainty that Oklahoma is currently facing.

Rattler, the former unanimous No. 1 prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, had plenty of suitors. That said, his primary goal is to find a program that will give him every opportunity to improve his NFL draft stock. Winning would be nice, but living up to expectations was more important to Rattler than anything else.

Which program is best for Rattler? There were a few with whom he had connections that might have been meaningful. Meanwhile, some other programs with experienced coaches may also be suitable.

Here are some of Rattler’s best potential matches, starting with a school that will be covered during Rattler’s time on the market.

AL-KHATEEB: Why Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma, explained

USC

See, let’s solve this problem easily because it seems like the one that will be asked about constantly. Can Spencer Rattler switch to USC? Sure, it can. He had connections to Lincoln Riley and the coaching staff took over the Trojan program.

However, there are some problems with that. First and foremost, Riley gives Rattler a replacement for talented freshman Caleb Williams to spark Oklahoma and try to save its season. That might not be good for Rattler if he’s looking for a fresh start.

Also, the Trojans have Jaxson Dart on their roster. He’s a real freshman in 2021 but still posts decent numbers – 61.3 completion rate, 1,162 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions in five games – despite the chaos turmoil surrounding the show following the departure of Clay Helton. Rattler may not want to compete with Dart in a situation that could be very similar to what he handled at Oklahoma with Williams.

Maybe Riley convinced Rattler to follow him, but it seemed like a long shot. The other seven shows on this list seem much more relevant.

SEX: Lincoln Riley will rush to bring elite QB back to USC

Ole Miss

Ole Miss would be a much better fit for Rattler than USC. He’ll get a fresh start with a new coaching staff and he’ll learn from one of the other great attacking minds in college football.

Lane Kiffin made the Rebels one of the better teams in the SEC in just two short years. They have fouled in the top 20 in each of his first two seasons at Oxford and Matt Corral has become a Heisman Trophy contender and is likely to be selected in the first round in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Rattler might see the success Corral enjoys as a ceiling on his potential. Both were the top five midfield rookies in 2018, but Rattler – the consensus No. 1 midfield player in that class – ranks above Corral. So far, Corral has had many consistent successes.

As a red-shirt junior, Corral completed 68.3% of his passes for 3,333 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also ran for 597 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those numbers somewhat reflect what Rattler did as a freshman in red, so he’ll probably believe Kiffin and the Rebels employees are the right choice to get him back on track. direction.

THAN: Lincoln Riley acquired to join USC, explained

Oregon

The Ducks have some young talent in midfield. They have four freshmen in place among the six quarterbacks listed on their roster. That will bode well for them in the future but if they need a starter now and don’t feel comfortable with what they have, Rattler would be a reasonable choice.

Oregon has been playing firmly after transfer graduate Anthony Brown this season. He is due to help replace Justin Herbert in 2020 but has spent the season supporting Tyler Shough. This year, he showed his skill and maintained a 16-4 TD-INT ratio and completed 64.5 percent of his passes.

If Brown represents experience, the rest of the Oregon quarterbacks… don’t. In fact, they’ve combined for just 18 career passes. So if Mario Cristobal believes Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield need more time to develop, Rattler would represent a high-ceiling pick with starting experience and 515 career pass passes under him.

For Rattler, the fit will be great, as he will operate behind a solid front line in an attack that’s traditionally been a lot of players. Oh yeah, he’ll also have a chance to slow Riley’s ascent at USC if revenge is something he’s interested in.

THAN: Top rookies start leaving Oklahoma after Riley’s departure

South Carolina

The Gamecocks had to start Zeb Noland in midfield at one point last season. He was supposed to be a graduate assistant on the school’s coaching staff. Needless to say, that’s not ideal!

Even when Luke Doty returns from missing most of the season through injury, South Carolina needs midfield depth. Rattler will be a big upgrade for them and he will have a chance to compete in the SEC, so it could be a win-win scenario.

It also helps the Gamecocks’ because their coach, Shane Beamer, spent three seasons at Oklahoma before taking the job in South Carolina ahead of the 2020 season. So he and Rattler are familiar with each other – they’ve worked together for two seasons – so that relationship could give the Gamecocks an edge in the recruiting battle.

Don’t sleep in South Carolina. That could be the perfect opportunity for Rattler. He could show his mettle battling some of the best SEC teams, and if successful, he could set his draft stock on fire again.

OKLAHOMA: Why Bob Stoops Will Replace Lincoln Riley

SMU

You don’t have to look too far to find an example of a former Oklahoma midfielder finding success at SMU. Tanner Mordecai, the current starter for SMU, spent the first few years of his career with the Sooners. He moved to SMU as a junior in red and had a 67.8% completion rate for 3,628 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

That’s right, the production of Mordecai was done by Sonny Dykes. He will move to TCU after the season, but Rhett Lashlee will take over as the Mustangs head coach. Lashlee was a Broyles Award finalist while he was at Auburn in 2013 and has plenty of offensive experience. He was the offensive coordinator for SMU in 2018 and 2019, so he should be able to keep the team’s strong offensive line going.

Playing at school Groups of 5 could be ideal for Rattler. The competition is a bit weaker, but the Group of 5 schools still produces plenty of professional prospects. Rattler could use this opportunity to get back to the rhythm and if he can dominate at that level he could get back into the first round conversation again.

SMU checks a lot of boxes. Good coaching, good talent and a schedule in favor of Rattler. Expect them to be a competitor for his services.

THAN: Kliff Kingsbury denies speculation that he will leave the Cardinals for Oklahoma

Arizona

The Wildcats haven’t had a winning season since 2017 in Rich Rodriguez’s final season as the team’s head coach. They have only had a 10-match season in the last 20 years, and they just hit a 1-11 record in Jedd Fisch’s first year as head coach.

Why does Rattler want to go to Arizona? Simple: an opportunity to spin a show in his home state.

Rattler is from Phoenix and played at Pinnacle High School. He threw more than 11,000 yards during his college career and was named an Elite 11 prospect for his strong track record. Perhaps a return home could excite him, and it’s not like Arizona has a proven quarterback on the roster.

Playing for Fisch is also an attractive proposition. He coached seven different NFL teams and was offensive coordinator for two years with the Jaguars in 2013-14. He has experience working under Sean McVay and Bill Belichick in recent years before becoming head coach, so he knows what it takes to achieve success at the NFL level. That, plus Fisch’s NFL connections, could draw Rattler as he looks to be back in shape.

SEX: The best candidates to replace Lincoln Riley in Oklahoma

Penn State

Sean Clifford is a senior in red, so his college playing time is coming to an end. The Nittany Lions have a talented-looking freshman, Christian Veilleux, who threw three touchdown passes in the Penn State game against Rutgers, so he could be the future for the show.

But is Penn State ready to trust Veilleux? After all, they had Ta’Quan Roberson listed ahead of him to start the season, and Roberson struggled a lot as a passer as he was pressed against Iowa.

If Penn State doesn’t want to trust Veilleux and Roberson to take over the show, bringing in Rattler might make sense. He will be an upgrade and will acquire Veilleux another year to develop into a quality star under James Franklin. Meanwhile, Rattler will play some tough Big Ten defense and showcase his passing skills in a meeting that usually doesn’t boast of midfield talent.

And coached by Franklin, who has signed a long-term extension and has no intention of leaving the show anytime soon, and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich could certainly appeal to Rattler.

THAN: OU fans boil after “traitor” Riley leaves for USC

North Carolina

Tar Heels may not sound like a perfect fit for Rattler on paper, but they are an interesting wild card. His candidacy here will all depend on what Sam Howell decides to do.

Howell is a real high school student, so he can go back to school if he wants to. That said, he will likely be one of the first quarterbacks to be rested in the 2022 NFL Draft. If he believes he will be the first-round pick, he could pack his bags. reason and leave Chapel Hill.

If that happens, Mack Brown will have a few options. He could have Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell lead the show, or he could bring in a more experienced player. Maye may be the future of the show, but he’s just a freshman right now. Brown might not believe he’s ready in which case Rattler would be a great bridge pick for him.

Brown was a respected, established coach and was the last to make Texas a legitimate contender on the national stage. He can get the most out of Rattler and turn him into a quality professional lead, so Tar Heels shouldn’t be ruled out even if some of the other options on this list are more likely. slightly.