Spencer Rattler Bio
Spencer Benson Rattler is an American professional football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Born on September 28, 2000, in Phoenix, Arizona, Rattler rose to national prominence as one of the most highly recruited quarterback prospects of his class. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina Gamecocks before being selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Known for his arm talent, competitive drive, and resilience through early-career adversity, Rattler has rebuilt his professional trajectory in New Orleans. After earning the starting job for the 2025 season, he continues to develop as a young signal-caller with starting experience in the NFL.
Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Spencer Benson Rattler was born on September 28, 2000, in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in the Phoenix area and attended Pinnacle High School, where he spent all four years of his high school career. Phoenix’s strong youth football culture helped shape his early development, and Rattler quickly established himself as one of the most talented passers in the state.
During his high school years, Rattler put up historic numbers. He broke the Arizona high school passing record on his 18th birthday, finishing his career with 11,083 passing yards, 116 passing touchdowns, and 1,040 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. His senior season featured a starring role in the Peter Berg-directed Netflix documentary series QB1: Beyond the Lights, which documented top high school quarterbacks. That same year, he was named MVP of the Elite 11 at The Opening in Texas, one of the nation’s premier quarterback showcases.
By the end of his sophomore year, Rattler had received 14 scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs, including Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami. He committed to Oklahoma in mid-2017 and signed his national letter of intent on December 19, 2018, joining the Sooners under head coach Lincoln Riley. Rattler was rated a five-star quarterback by 247Sports and Rivals.com and a four-star by ESPN, finishing as the consensus number-one quarterback and top overall prospect from Arizona in the 2019 recruiting class.
Path to American Football
Path to American Football
Rattler’s path to elite-level American football began with rapid high school success and national recruiting attention. His record-setting career at Pinnacle High School and his starring turn in QB1: Beyond the Lights introduced him to a national audience, and his Elite 11 MVP honor confirmed his status as a premier talent.
At Oklahoma, Rattler developed under Lincoln Riley, one of the most respected quarterback developers in college football. The transition to major college football competition gave him early exposure to high-level systems and NFL-style concepts. His redshirt season in 2019 allowed him to learn the offense before competing for the starting job.
His path continued through two college stops. After three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners, Rattler transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks in December 2021 to play under Shane Beamer, reuniting with a coach he knew from Oklahoma. The SEC move sharpened his game and ultimately prepared him for the NFL, where he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2024.
Spencer Rattler Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Rattler enrolled at Oklahoma on June 12, 2019, and redshirted his true freshman season after appearing in three games, including a College Football Playoff Semifinal against LSU. The following spring, he competed with Tanner Mordecai for the Sooners’ starting job and was named the starter on September 1 by Lincoln Riley. He made his starting debut on September 12 against Missouri State.
His first two starts were historic but bumpy. On September 26, 2020, Rattler tied the Oklahoma record for most touchdown passes through two weeks with eight, a mark previously set by Sam Bradford in 2008. Despite a midseason hip injury against Kansas, Rattler led the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship victory over Iowa State, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors and finishing 6–2 as the starter.
Oklahoma to South Carolina (2021–2023)
Heading into 2021, Rattler was widely viewed as a Heisman Trophy favorite. However, his season was cut short when he was benched during the Red River Rivalry game against Texas in favor of Caleb Williams and did not return to the field. In December 2021, he announced his transfer to South Carolina, where he reunited with Shane Beamer.
As a Gamecock, Rattler started in 2022 and led the team to an 8–5 record, throwing for 3,012 yards and 18 touchdowns despite 12 interceptions. He closed the regular season with two of the biggest wins in program history, passing for 438 yards and six touchdowns in an upset of No. 5 Tennessee and 360 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over No. 8 Clemson, becoming the first South Carolina quarterback to win back-to-back games against top-10 teams. The Gamecocks finished ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll, their first final ranking since 2013.
Returning in 2023, Rattler posted a career-high 3,186 passing yards and 275 completions while leading South Carolina to a 5–7 record. His 2023 effort was described as one of the best quarterback seasons in school history. He finished his Gamecocks career ranked fifth in program history in passing yards and first in career completion percentage, and was named MVP of the 2024 Senior Bowl before declaring for the NFL draft.
New Orleans Saints Era (2024–Present)
Rattler was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft. There were 137 players selected between Rattler and the previous quarterback drafted, Bo Nix, setting a modern record for the common draft era. After a preseason in which he completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and a passing touchdown, Rattler began his rookie year in a backup role.
His opportunity arrived in Week 6 of the 2024 season after Derek Carr’s injury, and Rattler made his first NFL start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went on to play seven games as a rookie, finishing with 1,317 passing yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions, while setting a Saints franchise record for most passing yards by a rookie quarterback. Following a 2025 training camp competition with Jake Haener and rookie Tyler Shough, first-year head coach Kellen Moore named Rattler the Saints’ starting quarterback for 2025.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Rattler’s most memorable moments is his record-setting upset of No. 5 Tennessee in 2022, in which he set the South Carolina single-game record for passing touchdowns. His 2024 Senior Bowl MVP recognition and his franchise rookie passing record also stand as key milestones in his young career.
Spencer Rattler Career Wins
Other Wins & Performances
At the high school level, Rattler’s Elite 11 MVP award in 2018 and his Arizona state passing record underscored his status as a generational prospect. In college, his signature performances include the 2020 Big 12 Championship win, his 2022 victories over Tennessee and Clemson, and his 2024 Senior Bowl MVP. At the NFL level, his first career victory came in Week 5 of the 2025 season against the New York Giants, a 225-yard, one-touchdown performance that ended an 0–4 start to the year.
Spencer Rattler Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Rattler’s immediate family are limited, and verifiable information about parents and siblings is not currently available. His rise from Phoenix to the NFL has been closely associated with his personal coach, Mike Giovando, and with his college mentors, including Lincoln Riley and Shane Beamer.
Personal Life
Rattler keeps his personal life largely private, and no public information regarding a spouse or children has been confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
Rattler entered the 2025 season as the Saints’ starting quarterback under first-year head coach Kellen Moore. After an 0–4 start, he earned his first NFL victory in Week 5 against the New York Giants, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown. The Saints fell to 1–7 before Rattler was eventually benched in favor of rookie Tyler Shough later in the season.
Across his 2025 starts, Rattler showed flashes of the arm talent that defined his college career, including a Week 2 performance against the San Francisco 49ers in which he passed for 207 yards and three touchdowns. His development within Moore’s offensive system remains a central storyline for the Saints’ long-term quarterback plans.