Spencer Rattler’s preseason prep for Gamecocks? Learning alma mater is on his list

“Welcome Home: South Carolina Football” debuted Wednesday night on ESPNU. It showed new USC quarterback Spencer Rattler fitting in nicely with the team, but it also revealed that he has room to learn when it comes to school traditions.

Specifically, he hadn’t quite nailed the school’s alma mater.

“Now I’ve just gotta learn that song,” a mic’d-up Rattler told head coach Shane Beamer after the team gathered at inside Williams-Brice Stadium for the alma mater after the spring game.

“We practice on Friday nights at the the hotel,” Beamer assured him. “You’ll get it down.”

Rattler was a featured player during Wednesday’s first episode. He seemed to fit in well with the team, and he remarked how he was impressed with the size of the crowd for the pregame Gamecock Walk.

Microphones picked up Rattler directing traffic on the field, and the other players responded to it well. At the time of the spring game, he was even newer to the offense, so it’s worth following the team’s chemistry with the Oklahoma transfer at the helm.

As for learning the lyrics to the University of South Carolina’s alma mater?

“I will have it down by the season!” he promised via Twitter on Wednesday night.

Beyond that, Gamecock fans saw a few exclusive clips from moments in the offseason. Here are some key aspects of the series pilot.

• The show opened with the Gamecocks preparing to play their spring game in April. There was a coin toss between veterans Jovaughn Gwyn and Zacch Pickens — Gwyn won and brought the first possession to the Garnet team. The players walked onto the field shortly after.

• Cam Smith and Juju McDowell proved to be the most humorous players in the episode, with fans responding to their personalities with reactions on Twitter. Smith was the most vocal player in the spring game, talking and cracking jokes on the sidelines.

• MarShawn Lloyd’s journey back to the field was mentioned, as viewers saw footage for the first time of the moment he injured his ACL in the 2020 preseason. The episode also documented his high school career, showing that he had to commute 2½ hours daily to DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland from his home in Delaware.

• The team engaged in a quick game of hide-and-seek during one of their practice days, a game in which McDowell emerged victorious. Offensive linemen Gwyn, Wyatt Campbell and Hank Manos all hid in Shane Beamer’s personal bathroom area. “To the three linemen who hid in my shower, damn!” Beamer quipped.

• Beamer’s willingness to embrace social media came up later in the episode. His viral video featuring a Soulja Boy song that was released during SEC Media Days was shown. Justin King, the head of the team’s creative and video department, discussed the use of multimedia in the team’s progression.

• South Carolina also did intense workouts during the offseason on what they called “Grit Night.” They climbed over seven-foot walls, competed in tug of war, carried sandbags and other rigorous activities. “It was like military boot camp,” Rattler said.

Next episode: Watch South Carolina football show on ESPNU

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17 (second episode)

TV: ESPNU

Stream: ESPN app

Length: 30 minutes