Spencer Rattler has until Jan. 16 to decide whether or not he is staying in college or entering the 2023 NFL Draft. As of now, his future is unclear. We do know one thing for certain, though; he will be playing in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame.

Rattler explained why he will not be sitting out earlier this past week.

“You know, it was important for me because (head) coach (Shane) Beamer’s been great to me all year, for him even bringing me here as a blessing,” Rattler said. “The least I could do is play in the bowl game, so I had to do it for him, the coaching staff and obviously the players as well. All we got is all we need and we’ve got some young guys that are hungry to make plays. We’ve got guys that are experienced here that wanted to finish this thing out right, so you know, we’re excited about the opportunity and we’re going to go make South Carolina proud.”

Several big names, for South Carolina and across the SEC, have announced their intentions to sit out bowl games, not wanting to risk significant injury and potentially millions for a game that is ultimately meaningless. Without further incentive, this will continue to be the reality.

Darius Rush, for example, announced his intentions to enter the draft and skip South Carolina’s bowl game last Thursday.