Is Rattler the savior of Gamecock football? NO.
Is that too much to expect of a single player? YES.
Without question, he’s the most anticipated signee we’ve had in a long time maybe. Maybe ever, considering all factors. We had a lot big commits under Spurrier, but we were already pretty good then so none were considered saviors for the program. He is not a more anticipated signee than Clowney.
But that is certainly how many (most?) are looking at Rattler. Ok, they need to pump the brakes a little then.
To be certain, this is THE moment for Beamer and Satterfield to show what the offense can do with a good QB under center. Among other factors, QB play severely limited what our offense was capable of last season. That presumably won’t be the case this season. Rattler got benched last year. It's no guarantee he couldn't be beaten out by someone else.
I say “presumably” because Rattler did have a drop in production from 2020 to 2021, which begs the question: How much stock do you put in Rattler getting benched this past season? Is 2020 or 2021 the better representation of who he is as a QB? Mixed bag, little of both.
We’ll have one our most highly anticipated spring games we’ve ever had this year. EVERYONE in Gamecock Nation is looking at Rattler as the key component for this season. If the offense takes off, it could set the table for Beamer to recruit higher caliber players once they see how the offense performs with a good QB. If the offense still struggles, it’ll be perceived that the offense couldn’t get it done even with a top caliber QB. It's great that we lured Rattler. It shows momentum for Shane, and it could definitely help our offense. Saying anything beyond that right now is delusional. You're not one of those Taters trying to make the Gamecock fans look delusional are you?