As South Carolina football retires Jadeveon Clowney's jersey, Spencer Rattler will wear his No. 7
COLUMBIA — Spencer Rattler will make his debut as South Carolina's starting quarterback on Saturday against Georgia State, but his first game in a Gamecocks jersey holds another layer of meaning.
USC will retire Jadeveon Clowney's No. 7 jersey at halftime of Saturday's game. The Cleveland Browns defensive end had a historic sophomore season in 2012 at South Carolina that earned him Heisman Trophy votes. He recorded 54 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
Rattler, who wears No. 7 for the Gamecocks, said he feels the weight of Clowney's legacy.
"It's really cool. That's probably the best defensive end to ever come through college football," Rattler said Tuesday. "He's a big name here and across the country, so it's cool that they're honoring him that way ... and I'm ready to represent No. 7 the right way while I'm here."
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When selecting the number, Rattler didn't have Clowney in mind. He said he grew up a fan of Michael Vick and has worn the former NFL quarterback's No. 7 since youth league football. He also wore the number at Oklahoma before transferring.
"I grew up No. 7," Rattler said. "In high school I wore No. 2, but CeeDee Lamb had No. 2 (at Oklahoma), so I went back to No. 7."
Clowney led the 2012 Gamecocks to an 11-2 record and a win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Rattler is more focused on the first game.
"We want to execute on every level and dominate," Rattler said. "We want to go out there and not react but do what we do. I'm excited to see the fans out there ... to run out of that tunnel with my team and hopefully get the anxiety out of the way. It's going to be fun."
Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Spencer Rattler jersey at South Carolina is 7 like Jadeveon Clowney
