SIGNATURE MOMENT
Rattler ready to compete for Sooners, despite decision not to enroll early
Right up until Tuesday, coaches across the country were reaching out to Phoenix Pinnacle quarterback Spencer Rattler, trying to change his mind.
Rattler has been committed to Oklahoma since the summer of 2017 and isn’t about to change now.
Rattler had one of two responses when coaches have reached out recently trying to gauge whether or not he’d reconsider. He either ignored the text or responded bluntly that he was 100 percent committed to Oklahoma.
“I’ve always talked to Spencer about loyalty,” said Mike Rattler, his father. “We’ve always been that way with his teams and the people that he trains with. He’s been with the same quarterback coach since he was in fifth or sixth grade. We’ve been with the same club basketball guys since he was in fifth or sixth grade. When I can get him around good programs and good people, we believe in being supportive and sticking with it.”
Rattler was a freshman when he met then-Sooners offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.
Then in June 2017, around the time Riley took over for Bob Stoops, Rattler quickly decided he wanted his future to be in Norman.
“I don’t believe in decommitting and doing all that nonsense,” Mike told his son. “So if you do this, this is going to be it.”
That’s a good thing for the Sooners, who are counting on Rattler to be one of their cornerstones of their future and perhaps the biggest piece of the 2019 signing class, which can sign beginning Wednesday.
And with Kyler Murray almost certainly heading to either professional football or baseball after this season, there will be a void at quarterback.
Rattler set Arizona’s all-time passing yards record this season, but his senior season was cut short when he was suspended from game activities for 30 days in late October for violation of the school’s code of conduct, effectively ending his season. He remained part of the team.
“He handled it better than I did,” Mike said. “He just said, ‘Look, it is what it is. I’m going to get to work.’
Spencer has gained 18 pounds since that incident, putting him right about 200 pounds.
Rattler will play in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 5.
“He’s pumped,” Mike said. “They better get ready. He’s going to be like a caged animal. He’s ready to rock 'n' roll.”
If Rattler arrived in January, he’d be right there in the mix for the starting quarterback spot next year.
But Rattler’s high school’s high academic standards made that, while not an impossibility, an improbability.
“We thought about doing it and it can be done, it would just take a herculean effort to do it,” Mike said.
Mike told his son he wanted him to enjoy his senior year as much as possible instead of piling on the stress by trying to catch up, saying that it wasn’t the end of the world if he wasn’t able to play the first year.
So Rattler will remain in Phoenix in the spring, keeping up a heavy workload to prepare to compete as soon as he arrives on campus, coordinating with Riley to stay sharp.
“He’s always been a quick study,” Mike said. “I think he’ll be able to pick up the system pretty easy. Physically, he’s going to be there.”