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Garrett Shrader scrambled down the right sideline on 4th and 16, put his head down and went airborne. Then a true freshman at Mississippi State, Shrader knew he would get popped by the two Kansas State defenders in front of him. He leapt anyway. It was “all or nothing,” he told reporters postgame.

The Bulldogs were down seven in the final three minutes, and though Shrader’s wild 360 in mid-air went viral, it wasn’t enough for a first down. Mississippi State lost 31-24 at home, but Shrader’s rushing ability and toughness helped earn him the starting job the next week against Kentucky. 

“Across the country, other quarterbacks will look at that (play) and say ‘That guy is crazy, I would never do that,’” said Anthony Boone, Shrader’s longtime trainer. “Shrader is a guy that’s going to put himself on the line for his team.”

Shrader became the second MSU true freshman to start in an SEC game since 2007. He was one of just three FBS freshman quarterbacks to account for 1,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in 2019. But during his sophomore season, MSU started Stanford transfer K.J. Costello instead of Shrader. The Charlotte native appeared in just four games — at wide receiver and special teams — and announced his decision to transfer to Syracuse in December. 

Now, Shrader is once again expected to compete for the starting job, this time against fellow four-star recruit, Tommy DeVito. Shrader will enter a Syracuse program coming off a one-win season in which the offense only averaged 17.8 points per game. SU’s up-tempo offense factored into his commitment decision, he told The Daily Orange.

“I’ll be playing in a great offense that has a track record of being really explosive when they get the right guy in there,” Shrader said. “I hope I can compete and be that guy and be explosive … where it be running the ball, throwing the ball, RPO game, all that stuff.”

Fresh out of high school, Shrader starred on Mississippi State’s team, which finished 6-7 (3-5 SEC) in the 2019 season. Photo courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics.

After four years under mobile quarterback Eric Dungey, who ran for 754 yards and 15 touchdowns in SU’s 10-3 2018 season, DeVito has run for just 178 yards in three years. SU’s offensive playbook is heavy on quarterback option plays, but DeVito has been limited with his legs so far. He also suffered a season-ending lower leg injury in 2020. 

During Shrader’s freshman season, he ran for 66 yards and a touchdown against future-national champion LSU while throwing for another 238. That season highlighted his running ability and toughness, Boone said, because he ran the ball whenever he needed to. For Syracuse, Shrader could offer more offensive mobility.

“He competes his ass off,” Boone said. “He’s a guy that played as a true freshman in the best pound-for-pound conference. When he came in, he ran the ball a lot … (and) he wasn’t scared.”

Shrader’s father, Tracey, helped instill that mindset in his son from a young age. A former quarterback at The Citadel, Tracey had his two sons start out at offensive and defensive line in addition to linebacker. Tracey wanted Shrader and his brother to appreciate the difficulty — and pain — associated with the positions, as well as to ingrain toughness in the boys at an early age. Playing youth football in Dallas, where he lived until 5th grade, helped with that, too. 

“It didn’t take them long to realize that they both wanted to play quarterback or another position,” Tracey said. 

After Shrader asked his dad if he could play quarterback, Tracey took his son to a high school field in Denton, Texas, and quickly realized Shrader was a natural at the position. His footwork, throwing motion and overall throwing ability stood out, Tracey said.

 

Shrader played for Mississippi State for two years before transferring to Syracuse. Photo courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics.

By high school, Shrader had settled into the position. He became a four-year starter for Charlotte Christian School, playing under four former NFL players who combined for over 100 years of NFL experience. He only lost four games in four years of high school, Tracey said, and ESPN tabbed him as the fourth-best prospect from North Carolina and sixth-best dual-threat QB in his class. 

Shrader committed to then-head coach Joe Moorhead’s Mississippi State program over Alabama, Penn State and Syracuse, among others. The Bulldogs finished 6-7 in 2019 and Moorhead, who Shrader was especially close with, was fired and replaced by Washington State head coach Mike Leach. Shrader missed the first 10 days of preseason training camp with COVID-19, and when he returned, Costello had the starting job secured. Shrader was relegated to limited snaps on special teams and at receiver. 

“(The) new head coach had his guys and they weren’t going to ever give me a chance,” Shrader said. “The only reason I stayed there is because of the free year, otherwise I would’ve been out way before that.”

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Shrader entered the transfer portal midseason. He participated in Zoom calls with Syracuse offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, and the two discussed what the offense would look like if he was at the helm. Shrader liked Gilbert’s formula to design offensive systems around its quarterback’s strengths, Tracey said, and that played a role in Shrader’s decision to pick Syracuse.

Shortly after committing to Syracuse, Shrader began working out with Boone two to three times a week, working on tightening his passing motion and building strength. Before Christmas, Shrader trained with his friend and UNC quarterback Sam Howell, who was preparing for the Tar Heels’ Orange Bowl game against Texas A&M on Jan. 2. 

Emily Steinberger | Photo Editor

The training sessions are so Shrader can compete for, and eventually earn, the starting quarterback spot at SU after arriving as a January enrollee. He’ll look to be the first quarterback to lead the Orange to a bowl game since Dungey in 2018. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Shrader’s build resembles Dungey — the former quarterback was the same height and within 10 pounds of Shrader. 

Against UVA in 2015, Dungey was flushed out of the pocket and took off for a first down, eventually leaping over a Cavaliers defender at the five-yard line before getting popped on his way into the endzone for a touchdown. During his college career, he lept over defenders numerous other times, too. 

Against Kansas State that day in 2019, Shrader showed that same willingness. He went airborne five yards short of the marker, and even though he crashed to the ground a yard short, he showed that toughness that Tracey instilled in him from a young age.

“That lets you know what kind of fiery competitor he is,” Boone said.

Published on February 16, 2021 at 11:42 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_