Shrader in the slot: Mississippi State's Garrett Shrader has made move from quarterback to wide receiver

Shrader started four games at quarterback for the Bulldogs last season

It looked last fall like Garrett Shrader was poised to become the face of Mississippi State football at quarterback. Shrader might still indeed be a big piece of the future for the Bulldogs, but it appears it's going to be at receiver.

MSU head coach Mike Leach met with reporters following a Saturday scrimmage and confirmed that Shrader is now catching passes instead of throwing them.

"Garrett is playing at slot receiver," Leach said. "He's looked pretty good. He had a touchdown the two days prior to today. Had a really good play today. The biggest thing is just getting him tuned in and I think he's got to get in shape, because there's a different type of shape at playing quarterback than receiver where you do all the running. But he's looked impressive."

Shrader's move to receiver ends any bid to be the Bulldogs starting quarterback. Though graduate transfer K.J. Costello has long been the favorite to win the starting signal caller job, Shrader was in a three-way battle for the spot, along with Costello and true freshman Will Rogers.

While not naming an actual starter, Leach noted on Saturday that Costello would indeed be Mississippi State's starting quarterback if the Bulldogs played a real game today. Leach also again praised Rogers, something that has become a common theme this preseason. Though it hasn't been made official, it seems all but certain the State depth chart for the season opener will be Costello at the top, backed up by Rogers.

Meanwhile Shrader seems slated to be a target for whoever is throwing the passes. It's a move Leach said Shrader seemed "really excited" to try.

"He's a really talented guy, so you hate to leave his talents on the shelf," Leach said of Shrader. "Those other quarterbacks, they don't have some of the gifts that Garrett does. The idea of moving them to another position, that's not very doable. Their next position, some of them, is probably coach. But...(Shrader) is a talented guy. He's tough to bring down. He's explosive and a big target. He's a smooth runner, (with) good hands. 

"I think he's discovering they run a little bit more at (receiver) than maybe he thought...He's a factor when he's out there."

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