After being important players in their universities, rookies must once again earn their places in the pros. Who are they and what hopes do they raise? Today, New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Spencer Rattler
Born September 28, 2000 in Phoenix, Arizona
1m83 for 95 kilos
Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
By the force of things
Recruited with the 150th pick in the draft, Spencer Rattler should not have seen the field in 2024. The injury to starter Derek Carr forced the Saints to change this plan.
Launched into the deep end against rival Tampa Bay, the beginner was able to show some promise for the future. He was also able to see the difference in level between the university ranks and the NFL: only 55% of passes completed and two interceptions!
Four days later against Denver, things didn't go any better: he didn't throw a touchdown and lost two balls! If he also shows some qualities, the road still seems long to become a legitimate starter in the NFL. However, it is not talent that he lacks.
Rattler's heart is raw
Spencer Rattler is a very talented type! From the youth teams, he made a name for himself in Arizona by winning four state championship titles. He is only twelve years old but his name is mentioned in the local newspapers. What already gives you a “big head”?
Especially since even his jersey number (7) was retired and no one can use it anymore among the young Scottsdale Firebirds: an unprecedented fact in the country and, to this day, still unique for this age category!
Later, he spent four years at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix and broke the state record with 116 touchdowns thrown and more than 11,000 yards in four seasons! In 2019, he is therefore evaluated as the best high school quarterback in the country: ahead of Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Sam Howell.
Of course, the state's two universities are courting him: Arizona and Arizona State. But also the University of Alabama which has just seen Tua Tagovailoa leave for the NFL. He nevertheless decided to join Oklahoma because the coach had the reputation of being one of the best offensive minds in the NCAA. Lincoln Riley went in person to recruit him, finally persuading Spencer Rattler to make this choice.
Although it is difficult to measure its impact from Europe, university football is the second most followed sporting competition in the country! In front of baseball and in front of the NBA. Spencer Rattler's meeting with this coach was therefore a closely scrutinized event. Even more so after he was the main actor in the Netflix series QB1: beyond the lights.
The other side of the coin
Every teenager needs recognition to build themselves. The media is fond of giving credit to those who play a sport and show rare talent at a very young age. But the view of others always brings its share of criticism: even more so when the young man is overexposed in the media.
Just before the 2024 draft, theinsider NFL Ian Rapoport tells USA Today about the impact of this series on the perception of NFL staff:
“It’s surprising and even a little weird. He was 17 and only a high school student. And that was five years ago! However, I cannot count the number of NFL officials who have told me of their reluctance to recruit him, because of the image he conveyed in this series. »
Filmed during his last season in high school, he shows the cameras, hungry for this kind of scene, an egocentric, contemptuous and haughty personality. He allows himself to openly criticize his receivers, as well as the replacement quarterback. The image it shows is disastrous in a country where even at the high school level, football is very exposed in the media.
Spencer Rattler then takes the full brunt of social media! That year (2019), he was also suspended during the season due to sexual activity on campus. How many students experience intimate relationships with others in high school? But under the spotlight because he played very well at football, this was revealed and relayed: he was then suspended by the district!
He and his parents try to explain his absence from the field by claiming an injury. When the deception is unmasked, this lie further deteriorates his public image! In summary, Spencer Rattler is hated by the majority of the country!
Hate
In the now cult film by Mathieu Kazzovitz, the punchline principal says that the important thing is not the fall but the landing. Worthy of a Hollywood studio production, Spencer Rattler has experienced rise, fall and rebound in his career!
In 2019, he was recruited by Oklahoma to learn behind starter Jalen Hurts. The latter left for the NFL in Philadelphia, he is the custodian of the game for his second season. With 3,000 yards and 28 aerial touchdowns in addition to six rushing touchdowns in 2020, he confirms his prodigious talent.
But the fall took place in his third season in Norman, and during the 6th match, he was put on the bench! If he completes 75% of his passes in the first five games of 2021, for as many victories, his coach has loving eyes for the new recruit of the squad: Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears).
After a fumble in the most important game for fans (against Texas), this lost ball is too tempting an excuse for Lincoln Riley. Caleb Williams becomes the starting quarterback.
At the end of the 2021 season, Spencer Rattler enters his name into “the transfer portal”. Although Caleb Williams follows Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles (USC), he has not digested the affront and decides to join a university that really counts on him.
Landing in South Carolina
The landing mentioned in the film “La Haine” takes place at the University of South Carolina. There, he is put in the best conditions by trainer Shane Beamer. The latter was Lincoln Riley's assistant at Oklahoma when Spencer Rattler was the starter there. He told nfl.com:
» Spencer is everything you want in a quarterback! He is calm and confident. And the more important the match, the more his talent is expressed. »
In two seasons at South Carolina, the quarterback threw for more than 3,000 yards each time, and more than 20 touchdowns each time, combining air and ground. Relying in particular on receiver Xavier Legette (Panthers), he shows that he has not lost his talent. He also seems to have matured by showing a caring attitude towards his teammates.
Possessing a very powerful arm as well as certain game intelligence, Spencer Rattler must now take up the challenge of being the leader of a team with players older than him. The learning will necessarily be painful as it is for any beginner.
But it is possible that within two years, the Saints manager will be credited with finding the bargain in the 2024 draft with pick 150!
