Spencer Rattler Has His Real Grand Opening on Saturday

While Arch Manning will surpass this level in a few years, it's hard to remember a time a new starting quarterback arrived with as much fanfare as Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma.

Yes, technically Rattler made his debut for the Sooners two weeks ago against Missouri State, and when he completed 14 of his 17 pass attempts for 290 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. However, that was an uncompetitive 48-0 contest and no one really saw it happen because the game cost $54.99 to watch on pay-per-view. Here are the highlights from that game:

This Saturday, Rattler and Oklahoma hosts Kansas State at noon on Fox. True, this still isn't the *most* compelling matchup in the world as Oklahoma is favored by 27.5 points on FanDuel. Nonetheless, it's Big 12 competition on national television so we'll all get our first real look at Rattler.

Rattler was the top-ranked dual threat quarterback in the country in his 2019 class according to Rivals and the top quarterback in the country according to 247. Both rated him as five stars. You combine this pedigree with Lincoln Riley, who's coached Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield the last few years, and there's potential for real fireworks.

“We have limited film, but just the fact that he’s working under Lincoln Riley shows that he’s going to be a great player,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman Klieman said earlier this week, via the Wichita Eagle. “Lincoln is as good as there is in coaching quarterbacks, so I think he has tremendous arm strength. He does a great job of reading defenses, looking people off and knowing where he’s going with the football. He’s an extremely good athlete. They didn’t run him or need to run him much against Missouri State, but I know from doing some research that he can beat you with his feet as well as his arm. I know he’s a young player, but I’ve been so impressed with his skill set.”