Shane Beamer disappointed by lack of national respect for Spencer Rattler

Shane Beamer really respects his quarterback Spencer Rattler but apparently the national media doesn’t think highly of the South Carolina signal caller.

At least, that’s the way Beamer sees it leading into the opener against North Carolina. Sure, there’s a lot of talk about a quarterback, his name just happens to be Drake Maye. And for good reason: Maye is a projected top-10 pick in next year’s draft and seen as the best quarterback not named Caleb Williams.

Still, Beamer backed Rattler, his guy, up prior to the South Carolina season opener. 

“Spencer’s play on the field speaks for itself,” Beamer said. “Frankly, it’s pretty disappointing just to see maybe the lack of respect on the outside. But again, we worry about what we can control and, and I’m excited for Spencer and again, Spencer is a guy, he doesn’t need any of that to motivate him. 

“But as his head coach and someone that thinks the world of the kid, it’s surprising to see some of them preseason watch lists and things like that. But again, we just need to go play football games. That’s all that matters.”

Last season, Rattler finished with 3,026 yards, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 66.2% completion percentage. Over the course of his career with Oklahoma and South Carolina, Rattler has 7,621 yards, 58 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and a 68.4% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Rattler was a five-star recruit out of Phoenix (Ari.) Pinnacle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 1 quarterback in the class and the No. 15 overall prospect in the class.

If Beamer loves his quarterback, then offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ comments should be no surprise.

“That’s because we wanted to introduce some concepts in spring ball and figure out what he likes and you got to get reps,” Loggains said. “He’s played in three different offensive systems. That’s advantageous to your learning football, but is not always advantageous to having success on the field. But your football mind is grown every time you play in a new system.

“Obviously consistency helps him more than anything to apply and produce on the field at a high level. But all those experiences, he was able to see what we do on paper and on the board and then go out and execute a little bit and then you kind of start to figure out (things).”