Tramel's ScissorTales: Spencer Rattler explains why he left OU football for South Carolina

Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal on January 3. Most of Sooner Nation was stunned, and even OU insiders had only a few days notice of Williams’ discontent.

You know the rest. The Sooners immediately grabbed Dillon Gabriel off the portal, when he was on UCLA’s doorstep, and Williams landed at Southern Cal with Lincoln Riley.

It all makes you wonder what would have happened had Spencer Rattler known?

Rattler, the OU quarterback with a 15-2 record as a starter and the 2021 preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, entered the portal on November 29, the day after Riley bolted for USC and two days after OU’s 37-33 Bedlam loss in the regular-season finale.

Rattler soon enough landed at South Carolina, with former OU assistant coach Shane Beamer, and the crimson-related carousel of QBs had stopped.

But had Rattler known Williams was leaving, would things be different? Would Rattler have stayed? Would OU still have pursued Gabriel, who in 2019 played for new Sooner offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby at Central Florida?

We now at least have the basis of Rattler’s thought process. He met with South Carolina reporters on Wednesday, for his first public comments since becoming a Gamecock. Here are some highlights:

OU spring football position preview: Brayden Willis leads tight-end group facing overhaul

► “I feel totally refreshed,” Rattler said. “Being at a new university, a great university like this. I am very comfortable here. Knowing Coach Beamer, getting to know all these guys my first month up here. I made a great decision. I feel like the pressure is taken off a little bit. My main focus right now is starting over with my team after spring break and going on to spring ball.”

I can only imagine how refreshed Rattler feels. He went from college superstar to backup in about six weeks. He went from one of the faces of college football to being booed on his own field and hearing fans chant for a true freshman to replace him.

The fans got their wish, and Williams was at times spectacular. But the Sooner squad didn’t prosper, and Rattler mostly stood on the sidelines, taking in a crazy spectacle of a season.

When the 2021 season started going sideways – a series of close games, the OU offense stuck in second gear – Rattler fell from grace in the public marketplace. His leadership and his character were questioned.

► Rattler seems to blame “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” a Netflix documentary that in part focused on Rattler’s high school saga, which included a school suspension during his senior year. In retrospect, participating in the documentary appears to have been an awful idea.

“A lot of people seem to forget it is a reality TV show,” Rattler said. “At that time, I was 16-17 years old, having fun with my buddies in high school. We all were our authentic self in high school. I think people around sports see that competition side come out of you in different ways. My character is definitely not portrayed well in that show. That is just how it was made. I am five or six years grown from that, and hopefully I have changed a little bit. I definitely have. I am a very competitive guy and also a very caring person. That is what I would have to say to those folks.”

Rattler didn’t help himself with his persona at OU. He appeared detached. Stories circulated about his selfishness. I have no idea if they are true. I just know that Rattler was thrust into an incredibly difficult situation at a young age. How would anyone have handled the expectations, the successes, the fall?

Tramel's ScissorTales: Why Bud Wilkinson lamented not keeping up with college football recruiting changes

► Rattler said the emotional ride at OU was “crazy, a whirlwind. I sat my first year behind Jalen Hurts, I learned a lot from him on and off the field. He was a great leader. He is doing his thing in the NFL. My second year, I had a great year and lost only two games. Last year, things went how they went. I couldn’t control it; I feel like as a player I was doing fine enough. We were undefeated at the time. I guess it wasn’t enough. I can’t control that. I am just happy to be here now. Coach Beamer and a coach that believes in the players. Great players around me that will all come together and be a great team.”

Let’s not misunderstand. Rattler didn’t play great in those six OU starts. He completed 74.9 percent of his passes, but his touchdown/interception ratio was 11:5. Not good. When the Sooners were in a hole against Texas, Williams came to the rescue, and Riley had little choice but to make a change.

Same as Rattler had little choice but to make a change, even with Riley’s departure.

“I think it was just time to move on,” Rattler said. “I don’t think I was going to wait. It was just time to move on and I’m happy I did.”

► Rattler said his OU teammate, tight end Austin Stogner, encouraged him to check out South Carolina. Stogner entered the portal after Bedlam and chose the Gamecocks.

“When I hopped in the portal, I feel like the first second I entered my name, there were plenty of schools,” Rattler said. “A lot of different schools flew out to visit me in Arizona just to talk.

“I think Coach Beamer and Stog, being comfortable was a big thing for me. Knowing how Coach Beamer is, he was with me the first two years at Oklahoma. He was a great influence on all the players up there. I knew he was doing something special down here. I just wanted to come be a part of it and join a great team.

“Growing up, I loved to watch college football. To this day, that is my favorite thing to watch. I saw Jadeveon Clowney highlights. I saw games with Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey.

“Going through this recruiting process, Ccoach Beamer was a big indicator that South Carolina is doing something right. He is turning this program around and doing a great thing up here. I was very comfortable with making my decision. Also, knowing … Stogner would be coming with me. It just felt like a home feeling. I got on a Zoom visit with the whole staff, and we had a great talk. They impressed me a lot. I feel like I made the right choice.

“The question was what is impressive about this place. I just think how it is run. I think it is run like an NFL type facility. A lot of people would be surprised, it is different than where I am coming from. I feel like it is more around the players, guys aren’t burnt out. Guys are enjoying their time in the facility, enjoying their time around the players and coaches. It is just a great feeling.”

What? You expected Rattler to give glowing reviews about the Sooner program? In the same way we hear glowing reports about newcomers to Norman or Stillwater, newcomers in other ports feel revived. Refreshed was the word Rattler used.

Tramel: Art Briles wants back on a college campus, but good luck with that

► Rattler said he has learned a lot about himself.

“I learned that I can accomplish a lot of great things with great guys around me,” Rattler said. “I had a great team at Oklahoma for my three years there. I learned a lot about my leadership skills, I feel like I improved in that area. I learned I can fight the adversity that is thrown my way. God has given me the talent to do my thing on the field and help the team I am on. Happy that I landed on my feet in Columbia, South Carolina and I can’t wait to get this ball rolling.”

► Rattler took some veiled shots at OU, which, again, is totally expected.

“The (South Carolina) system definitely levels a pro-style system,” Rattler said. “I am learning a lot of new things every day. Terminology and verbiage that I didn’t know coming in. Coach (Marcus) Satterfield (offensive coordinator) and Coach (Nick) Coleman (quarterback analyst) have done a great job with me so far. I have learned probably more in a month than I have in my college career.

“With these pro-style systems and the film we are watching, I think it elevates everybody’s games on the team. Mentally and physically on the field.”

Rattler was asked directly about the difference in the atmosphere between Carolina and OU. He didn’t really bite.

“I think Beamer just has a great sense of awareness for what his players want and what they need,” Rattler said. “He’s a players-first coach. Everything in the facility is based around the players. What we feel is comfortable. What we feel is going to be beneficial.

“Just hearing that, that we all have input, that’s something that was a big decision, factor for me coming here, knowing I walk into a building every day where guys have input in what’s going on. I think that’s a big-time thing. A lot of other programs don’t have it. Coach Beamer is leading this place in the right direction and I know he is going to keep doing a great job.”

Did Riley not foster input? That seems unfair, from what we know. One of the post-departure criticisms of Riley was that he was too much of a players’ coach.

Oh well.

More: Which players have committed to Oklahoma football's 2023 recruiting class?

► Rattler is from Greater Phoenix, so his exposure to the South is limited. But he pointed out that his father is from Arkansas, so Rattler knows a little about the Southern culture and says he loves Columbia, home of the Gamecocks and South Carolina’s capital city.

“It’s been a blessing, getting up here in a whole new state and a whole new city,” Rattler said. “It is refreshing. I love the environment in Columbia, it is a die-hard football city. They love the Gamecocks.

“I wanted to go somewhere that has that tradition and love for their team. I think I landed in the perfect spot and the response has been great so far.”

Let’s not confuse South Carolina with Alabama or Georgia. But give the Gamecocks some credit. They are sort of Iowa State of the Southeastern Conference. Great fanbase despite limited success.

► Rattler said he doesn’t plan to change his personality.

“I’m just going to give it my all this year,” Rattler said. “I’m going to have fun with it. I’m going to have energy. I’m going to have swag. Hopefully, that feeds off all the other guys. So far, I’ve seen they got the same stuff I do, so we’re just going to have fun with it. We’re going to compete. We’re going to play hard. But mainly, be me, be us. That’s the main thing.

“I think, in the transfer world now, a lot of guys transfer to new schools and have to try to earn that respect. Me coming in a month ago, a little later than the other guys, I feel like, so far, I’ve done a great job of showing them my work ethic every day during workouts, putting a throwing session together with the receivers, just chopping it up with the guys, getting close with the o-line, doing some things with them.”

► Satterfield, hired by Beamer before the 2021 season, pitched to Rattler the idea that nobody thinks either one of them is any good.

“That wasn’t really a pitch to me,” Rattler said. “It didn’t really make me decide to come here. It was just something he said. I thought it was kind of funny.

“But I love Satterfield. He’s a real cool guy, great coach. But yeah, in 2020, I was in a good position. We were running great plays, we had a great time out there. In 2021, just something changed, I don’t know what. I feel like did my part in winning games. Obviously, you can’t win every game by 50 points, but it didn’t work out. But I’m not trying to show anything else but the best version of me. Just trying to come out here and help this team.”

It didn’t work out at OU for Spencer Rattler. Maybe if Rattler had a sniff that Williams was leaving, staying a Sooner was a good option. All things considered, you’re better off quarterbacking OU than quarterbacking South Carolina.

Maybe Rattler would have returned to being a premier quarterback, under Brent Venables and Lebby. Or maybe too many things had happened. Probably too many things had happened.

Rattler needed a refresh, for now he has found it at South Carolina, and I, for one, will be pulling for him.

OU spring football position preview: Marvin Mims leads the way for Sooners' WRs heading into 2022

Time for Likekele to try football?

OSU football’s defense had a renaissance 2021. Stingy on yards and points. Elevated the Cowboys to the Big 12 Championship Game, the Fiesta Bowl and the No. 7 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.

In the Cowboys’ regular-season finale, they gave up 33 points (and still won Bedlam 37-33). In the Fiesta Bowl, they gave up 35 points (and still beat Notre Dame 37-35).

And Wednesday night in Ames, Iowa, the OSU basketball team gave up 36 points (and beat Iowa State 53-36).

It was a stunningly good result in a stunningly disappointing season. The Cowboys are 14-15 overall, 7-10 in the Big 12, with only one game left to play, Saturday at home against Texas Tech.

The Iowa State game might have been the penultimate appearance for Cowboy veteran Isaac Likekele, the point guard/power forward who has been an OSU mainstay for four years.

In Ames, Likekele produced his typical statistical line: four points, 2-of-4 shooting, five assists, five rebounds.

Likekele literally does everything well, except shoot. He’s like Chianti Roberts, the sixth man on the 1995 Final Four and one of my all-time favorite Cowboys. Likekele can have some high-scoring games – he's averaged 8.9 points per game for his career – but almost all of his points come in the paint, where he muscles his way to points.

If Likekele could shoot like an average college player, he’d probably be an NBA player. If he could shoot like a good college player, he’d probably be an NBA star.

'We're tough': How Oklahoma State made defensive history overpowering Iowa State on road

But Likekele is not much of a shooter, and his basketball career is winding down. He’s eligible to return for a fifth OSU season, with the Covid extension, but most insiders believe Likekele will be playing his final Cowboy basketball game on Saturday.

So I have an idea for him. Take that extra year and join the OSU football team. Take that wide body and excellent athletic ability and that competitive drive, and put it to use playing linebacker.

Mike Gundy needs linebackers. Malcolm Rodriguez and Devin Harper are gone. And ESPN analysts, notably Fran Fraschilla, have been calling Likekele a linebacker for four years.

Oh, some have called Likekele a fullback, and he could be that, too, I suppose. A fullback/tight end hybrid. But he’s 6-foot-4, about 220 pounds and quick. I see a linebacker. Rush end or blitzer. Chase down tailbacks coming out of the backfield for a pass.

Alas, Likekele shot down the idea the other day, when asked by our man Jacob Unruh.

"I don't like football, man,” Likekele said. “The weather too crazy. Like, it's the weather for me. We can control the weather inside. You know, we got the AC, we got the heater, we control the thermostat. Outside, no, that ain't for me."

I’ve literally never heard an answer like that. The weather? The weather is a reason for not living in Fargo. The weather is not a reason for dismissing football.

But that’s such a concentrated answer, it seems likely that Likekele has thought about it.

Oklahoma State men's basketball schedule: How to watch the Cowboys in 2021-22 NCAA season

Likekele clarified his thoughts about the gridiron.

"I actually enjoy football,” Likekele said. “That was my favorite sport. I like football. It's fun, it's interesting, but I don't like the outside like that."

If it’s any help, many of Gundy’s practices are indoors, in the Sherman E. Smith Training Center. Most of those are open air, but they are indoors.

However, Boone Pickens Stadium – like the rest of the Big 12 – is domeless. The games are outdoors.

But more help in the argument -- OSU’s final two games, the Big 12 title game at JerryWorld in Arlington and the Fiesta Bowl in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, were indoors.

I’m doing all I can to persuade Likekele.

Of course, I’d like to see the guy come back and play basketball. He defends ferociously and literally can cover anyone on the court. In the same way that in the old days, Chianti Roberts would cover Kansas point guard Jacque Vaughn on one possession and future NBA center Raef LaFrentz on the next, Likekele matches up with the likes of Baylor point guard James Akinjo and center Flo Thamba without equal vigor. Likekele led the defensive charge Wednesday night that held the Cyclones to 36 points.

But if Saturday indeed is Likekele’s final OSU basketball game, I hope Gundy puts on his recruiting hat and tries to talk Likekele into coming over to the great outdoors.

'I was really playing for her': How OSU's Moussa Cisse rediscovered his motivation after mom's death

1947 Mizzou game huge for Wilkinson

Bud Wilkinson was 30 years old when he was promoted to head football coach at OU in January 1947. Sooner leadership was quite smitten with Wilkinson; then-OU president George Lynn Cross wrote that some regents wanted to hire Wilkinson the previous year, instead of Jim Tatum, when Tatum interviewed for the job and brought along Wilkinson as a selling point.

The results were smashing, of course. Wilkinson turned the Sooners into a national power. But Wilkinson’s first season as head coach didn’t always go smoothly.

The ScissorTales continues a series of Wilkinson interviews conducted by Georgia historian Loran Smith some four decades ago. Smith shared the transcripts with me, and I’m sharing them with you.

And Wilkinson told Smith about some distressing times in 1947 and how a certain game might be the most important result in his 17-year run.

“My alternative was to go to Maryland with him (Tatum) or become a head coach at Oklahoma. I was 30 years old, and that wasn’t much of a choice.

“There’s one problem about college coaching, and that’s almost as true as pro. Then there were probably more good jobs than there are now. By that, I mean how much do you give away before the coaching begins? Right now, I can name maybe 12 schools, Penn State and Pittsburgh, where you ought to be able to do it. Georgia, maybe. Tennessee is kind of like Georgia. Alabama can, at least they could while Bear was there. Texas can. Oklahoma can. Nebraska can. Southern California can. UCLA can.

“...What a coach can normally expect in the way of material support and the tradition that is there.

“Back in my beginning years, there were probably 30 schools that had an equal chance to win. SMU could play well in those days, and TCU could. The only concern I had was, I knew we were going to lose those (World War II) kids, and when I was appointed, the Oklahoma supporters really felt quite vocally that I was too young to coach.

“Fine. I was going to be a nice assistant coach, but I didn’t really quite have the background to be a head coach.

“We won our first game against Detroit University and we lose to Texas. Anyway, we play Missouri and we have lost two, won two and tied one. That was the critical game. If we lose this one, we’re losing the conference championship. If there’s any one game in my coaching background that sort of changed the numbers, momentarily at least, it was this game.

“They were favored to win. (Darrell) Royal kicks the ball out of bounds. It’s a gray, wet, damp day. He kicks (punts) it out of bounds three straight times inside the 5-yard line, and they fumble the ball the third time, and we score a magnificent seven points to win 7-0. Then we go on and win the rest of our games. Next year, we get it rolling, and we’re a pretty good team from that time on. But that one game we could have lost as well as won.

“We wind up 2-2-1 after we’d gone to the Gator Bowl the previous season (under Tatum). That’s the inevitable grumbling that takes place out there. They weren’t going to give me any three years to develop as a coach.”

Tramel's ScissorTales: Did Rose Bowl lose its power with 12-team College Football Playoff rejection?

The List: Greatest Ukrainian athletes

Most of the world has become Ukraine fans. We’re pulling for the Ukranians, whose nation last week was invaded by Russia’s military.

In honor of Ukraine, to help remind us all of its spirit and its history, here are the 10 greatest Ukranian athletes ever:

1. Sergey Bubka: Generally considered the greatest pole vaulter of all time. Bubka twice was named Track & Field New’s athletes of the year, and in 2012 he became one of the 24 inaugural members of the track and field hall of fame. Bubka held the world indoor record (20 feet, 2 inches) for 21 years and the world outdoor record (20-1½) for 26 years.

2. Oksana Bayul: The star of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, Bayul won figure-skating gold at age 16, edging American Nancy Kerrigan. Bayul became the first Olympic gold medalist for independent Ukraine.

3. Andriy Shevchenko: Considered one of the greatest strikers in soccer history, Shevchenko ranks as the No. 7 goal-scorer in European Football Club competition. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rank 1-2 on the list.

4. Wladimir Klitschko: Considered among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Klitschko went 64-5 and was the world champion for most of the 2006-13 time period. He retired as champ. The only knock against Klitschko was that he refused to fight his brother, Vitali.

5. Vitali Klitschko: The World Boxing Council heavyweight champion from 2004-06 and 2009-15, Klitschko went 45-2. Klitschko lost his title to Tyson Fury in 2015. Klitschko is mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine’s largest city, and has become one of the faces of the Ukranian resistance.

6. Tamara Press: Competing for the Soviet Union, Press won a combined three gold medals and one silver in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics in the shot put and discus.

7. Dmitri Khristich: The 12-year National Hockey League wing produced 140 goals and 160 assists, playing primarily for the Washington Capitals.

8. Yana Klochkova: The swimmer won two gold medals in both the Syndey Olympics of 2000 and the Athens Olympics of 2004.

9. Andriy Yarmolenko: The No. 2 soccer scorer, trailing only Shevchenko. Yarmolenko plays for West Ham of the English Premier League and for the Ukranian national team.

10. Ruslan Fedotenko: The 12-year NHL wing had 12 goals in the 2004 playoffs, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup championship. Fedotenko had both goals for the Lightning in its 2-1 Game 7 victory over Calgary in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tramel's ScissorTales: Why Saturday's historic day of upsets is good for Big 12 basketball

Mailbag: Rose Bowl stadium

My Tuesday ScissorTale item on the Rose Bowl produced some memories for a certain OSU fan.

Chris: “I read your story regarding the Rose Bowl. I traveled to LA in 2004 to watch OSU beat UCLA 31-20 in Pasadena. Obviously, this was not the Rose Bowl event held on New Year’s Day, but it was the same stadium. My experience in the stadium was one of disappointment after hearing how grand of a place it was. We parked on a golf course, of all things, not too far from the stadium. I was surprised that any golf course would allow that. We sat in a corner end zone, which was expected as we were the visiting team. I don’t recall the actual temperature, but it was hot. The stadium itself is a bowl of concrete and there was no wind; needless to say it was really hot. In the bowl, the fans do not get the view of the San Gabriel mountains, so a lot of that is just based on your viewpoint. The amenities outside the bowl were mediocre or worse. Remember, at this point Boone Pickens Stadium was still five years away from completion. I’m glad I went, but my experiences of OSU road trips to Michigan (1992), Nebraska (2003) and Georgia (2007) were much better than the Rose Bowl. Just my two cents.”

Tramel: Interesting observations. I went to OU-UCLA games in 1990 and 2005. The 1990 game was the second-hottest football game I can remember (OU-UTEP 2000 was the hottest). It was a scorcher.

But I’ve been to two Rose Bowl games, and it indeed is a different environment. The weather is beautiful. The surroundings are glorious. I found the golf course parking charming. And the San Gabriels were in my view, though admittedly, I sat up high.

The Rose Bowl should never be confused with an otherworldly stadium. It’s somewhat antiquated. It’s a throwback.

So is Allen Fieldhouse.

Allen Fieldhouse and the Rose Bowl are my two favorite sporting venues. Notre Dame Stadium probably ranks No. 3.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Spencer Rattler explains why he left OU football for South Carolina