Former Gamecock Spencer Rattler named New Orleans Saints starting QB

Former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has been named the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback for Sunday’s matchup against Tampa Bay.

Saints coach Dennis Allen made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon. Rattler will start in place of David Carr, who is expected to miss multiple weeks with an oblique injury.

“Spencer Rattler will be the quarterback for this game,” Allen said to open press conference Wednesday. “We’ll let him go play and see what he can do.”

Allen declined to name Rattler as the backup QB late into August and said the position battle would continue throughout the season. Rattler has been the third quarterback behind Jake Haener and Carr but will get the start ahead of Haener, who came in relief on Monday night.

Both backup candidates had nearly identical preseason stats.

Rattler completed 52.6% (20-of-38) of his passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions, earning a quarterback rating of 76.9. Haener completed 55.8% (24-of-43) of his passes for 270 yards and zero interceptions, though he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. He earned a rating of 74.8.

The Arizona native was selected with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Saints. NFL analysts and mock drafts generally had Rattler slotted as a second- or third-round selection as the draft neared.

“He probably wanted to hear his name called a lot sooner,” ESPN analyst Field Yates said. “But now’s a chance to kind of be a newbie for a second, develop, maybe pay behind as the No. 2 quarterback behind Derek Carr ... It might actually be a silver lining for Spencer Rattler.”

Rattler was the first Gamecock quarterback to be selected in the NFL Draft since Todd Ellis, USC’s career passing leader, in 1990. Ellis was the 247th pick in the ninth round and was taken by the Denver Broncos, coached by fellow South Carolina alum Dan Reeves.

Rattler transferred to South Carolina in 2022 after starting his college career at Oklahoma and cemented himself as one of the best QBs in school history. He ranks fifth all-time among Gamecocks quarterbacks in passing yards with 6,212 and first in career completion percentage (.675), fifth in career completions (523) and ninth in career passing touchdowns (37). Rattler also served as a team captain both years at USC.