Spencer Rattler’s return to South Carolina brings a special kind of upside for 2023

The show goes on.

Sandwiched between 2022 highlights and a clip out of Martin Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street,” Spencer Rattler announced his return to South Carolina via a social media video on Tuesday evening.

It didn’t send quite the same shockwaves that his initial commitment to USC one year ago elicited, but the ramifications are just as massive.

“Here. We. Go!!!!!!!!!!!” head coach Shane Beamer promptly chimed in on Twitter following Rattler’s announcement.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Rattler’s return in Columbia. He was a guy seemingly destined for one season at South Carolina before jumping to the NFL. He now becomes the linchpin for offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains in his first year taking over for Marcus Satterfield.

Above all, Rattler gives head coach Shane Beamer and South Carolina legitimacy as the Gamecocks look to climb higher in the Southeastern Conference standings in 2023.

“We’ve got to do a great job recruiting him back,” Loggains quipped of Rattler during his introductory press conference last month. “I told someone, ‘He’s the biggest recruit since my wife.’ ”

Rattler represents a new breed in college football, one who, under past rules and regulations, may well be off to train for the NFL Draft right now. He’ll almost certainly be rewarded handsomely via name, image and likeness deals for his loyalty. Such is life in college football in 2023.

Rattler’s 2022 season had its ups and downs. He threw five picks in his first three games. His final 18-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio leaves something to be desired. Still, there were moments of “wow” that reminded everyone why he was such a massive get in December 2021.

The November wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson will live on in South Carolina lore. Rattler’s magician-like performances in those contest ensured that he’ll never have to buy another drink in Columbia. He finished those two wins throwing for a combined 792 yards and eight touchdowns. He connected on 72% of his throws. That’s the kind of upside that comes back in 2023.

There’s also the not-so-subtle tie to receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells, who announced he’d return for one more go at it on Monday night. Wells finished second in the SEC in yards receiving this year. The only man he trailed was Bileitnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt.

The thought around Columbia and inside the football program was that Rattler’s and Wells’ decisions were linked. If one returned, the other would, too. South Carolina got just that — and now has two of the more proven playmakers in the conference in the fold next fall.

“I called him into my office before the Tennessee game and I reminded Spencer, ‘You’re built for this. There’s no other quarterback I’d rather have. And you can cement your legacy here at South Carolina with with what you do here in these next two weeks,’” Beamer said following the Clemson win. “Hopefully he can come back next year and do it again, too.”

Rattler’s decision both grants Beamer’s wish and brings a legitimacy to his operation in how South Carolina can maintain the upward trajectory it’s rather boisterously gathered over the past two years.

The Gamecocks, on paper, were facing a quarterback battle had Rattler opted for the NFL. They’d have entered 2023 determining whether Luke Doty was the future at quarterback, or, perhaps, redshirt freshman Tanner Bailey. Instead, the program has one of the most recognizable names in college football under-center once more.

That gives the Gamecocks juice (no pun intended) in a wide-open SEC East. Georgia remains a machine and, all things considered, should be poised for the first three-peat in college football history. Behind that? Who knows.

Tennessee exploded for an 11-win season in 2022 and ought to stay around a top 15 team, if not better. Florida remains in rebuilding mode under Billy Napier, and its quarterback situation with Anthony Richardson off to the NFL is murky at best. Mark Stoops has proved adept at turning over Kentucky’s roster, but sans Will Levis, it’s unclear how N.C. State transfer signal-caller Devin Leary will fare in the big, bad SEC. Missouri — though it beat South Carolina this year — and Vanderbilt also lurk, but remain in varying stages of mediocrity.

“I think they’re on the precipice of becoming a top 15 program over the next several years,” 247Sports national college football reporter Brandon Marcello told The State. “They’ve got to be able to capitalize on what they’ve been able to do in the transfer portal the last two years and be able to build around Spencer Rattler so that in this upcoming season, you’ve gotta get to the nine- to 10-win-type of year to solidify yourself.”

Jordan Belfort, as depicted in Scorsese’s aforementioned flick, built a financial empire that crumbled over legal issues. South Carolina will hope the return on investment in Rattler cements a foundation built in solid stone — or whatever material bowl trophies are made of these days.