South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler said he's excited to have a fresh start with the Gamecocks after a difficult chapter with the Oklahoma Sooners.
"A lot of guys don't get another chance, to start over where they're really wanted," RattIer said, according to ESPN's Chris Low. "I was just happy to get away from a toxic situation and get somewhere new.
"Anywhere was going to be better, and I found the right place."
Rattler, who transferred to South Carolina in December after three years at Oklahoma, didn't elaborate on his issues with his former team.
"That will be a story for later," Rattler added. "I don't want to get too in depth with it, but it was out of my control. All I can tell you is that we were undefeated at the time I was benched. We won a championship the year before and were going to win another one. I could go on and on."
Rattler joined the Sooners as the top dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class. He took over the starting job in 2020 and completed 67.5% of his passes for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
The former four-star recruit entered the 2021 season as Oklahoma's starting signal-caller and the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. However, things didn't go as planned. He ultimately lost his job to freshman Caleb Williams midway through the campaign.
Rattler finished last year with just 11 touchdowns to five interceptions and saw Oklahoma post an 11-2 record, including a 7-2 mark in conference play.
"We had a great summer and then once the season started, we had a competitive first couple of games and didn't play up to par," Rattler said. "I just feel like we weren't given enough time to jell together during the season. Triggers were pulled too quick, and because of that, we lost two games and didn't win another championship."
Rattler wasn't the only high-profile name to leave Oklahoma. Head coach Lincoln Riley left the program for USC in a stunning move that prompted several players to enter the transfer portal, including Williams, who also committed to the Trojans.
Rattler will now reunite with head coach Shane Beamer, who was an assistant at Oklahoma from 2018-20 before joining South Carolina.
