It wasn’t too long ago that these quarterbacks were being bantered about in a different tone.
D.J. Uiagalelei and Spencer Rattler, the signal callers who will take center stage today in the latest rendition of the Palmetto Bowl, are physically gifted. There’s not much debating that. It’s what made them former five-star recruits in their respective recruiting classes.
Rattler, a year old than Clemson’s quarterback, was the nation’s 11th overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Uiagalelei was ranked even higher in 2020, coming out of California’s St. John Bosco as the No. 10 recruit that year, according to the 247Sports Composite.
“Definitely know Spencer real well,” Uiagalelei said. “He’s a great guy. Met him probably as a junior (in high school). … He’s a real good dude. I like Spencer a lot.”
Both lived up to the hype early in their collegiate careers. Rattler initially signed with Oklahoma, where he was a star in Lincoln Riley’s quarterback-friendly offense. After being named the National Freshman of the Year and a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist as a redshirt freshman, Rattler jumped near the front of the line of Heisman Trophy favorites heading into the 2021 season.
Uiagalelei wasn’t far behind.
His sample size wasn’t nearly as big going into his second year at Clemson, but the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder created plenty of buzz heading into his first season as Trevor Lawrence’s successor with the potential he displayed in a pair of spot starts as a true freshman. Those included a 439-yard, two-touchdown performance in front of a national television audience in Clemson’s double-overtime loss at Notre Dame that season.
The road hasn’t been as smooth for either of late. Rattler was benched midway through last season for another freshman, Caleb Williams, who’s now at Southern Cal with Riley. Seeking a fresh start following the Sooners’ coaching change, Rattler transferred to South Carolina before this season. The inconsistency has followed him.
Rattler has been the Gamecocks’ starter all season but had more interceptions (9) than touchdown passes (8) through Carolina’s first 10 games. As for Uiagalelei, he did the same (nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions) last season and was benched twice earlier this season for true freshman Cade Klubnik. Uiagalelei has accounted for more turnover (7) than touchdowns (6) over Clemson’s last four games.
Yet with nearly three times as many touchdowns (27) as turnovers (10) for the season, Uiagalelei, who’s increased his completion rate nearly 10 percentage points from last season, has had his good moments. The highlight so far was a 337-yard passing performance in a double-overtime win over Wake Forest in late September that included a school-record six touchdown passes.
“He went through what kind of what I went through at OU I guess,” Rattler said of Uiagalelei. “He’s a great guy and comes from a great family. He’s a good dude. Been through a lot of unfair treatment, but he’s a good player and does a lot of good stuff for them.”
As for Rattler, his most recent outing served as a reminder as to just how capable the Gamecocks’ signal caller is when he’s on. Rattler, who was averaging less than 200 passing yards going into last week’s game, set career-highs in passing yards (436) and touchdown passes (6) in Carolina’s throttling of then-No. 5 Tennessee.
“He was a five-star quarterback for a reason and a starter at Oklahoma for a reason,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “He’s done a lot of great things. He’s a really, really talented player. … He’s definitely got all the tools.”
What lies ahead for both beyond Saturday is unclear. Both juniors, Uiagalelei and Rattler are eligible for next year’s NFL Draft should they choose to declare early, but Rattler hasn’t publicly discussed what’s next for him. Uiagalelei said he’s yet to decide what he’s going to do after the season.
But that’s the future. This is the present. And each has an opportunity to make everyone forget about the past based on how they perform in today’s rivalry tilt.