Shrader, Syracuse is a Great Marriage for Both Sides
Syracuse picked up a big transfer on Saturday when former Mississippi State quarterback Garrett Shrader committed to the Orange. Syracuse has been at its best historically with dual threat quarterbacks. Even recent history suggests as much with the success Eric Dungey had throughout his career becoming one of the most prolific passers in program history. Past successful quarterbacks such as Donovan McNabb, Marvin Graves, Don McPherson and others all had the ability to make plays with their legs as well as their arms.
Shrader brings that dual threat capability to the Orange along with big play ability through the air. That is why SI All-American's John Garcia Jr. believes it is a great fit for both sides.
“The state of Syracuse football, from an outsider's perspective, is a troubled offense-first program not clicking on that side of the football like it has in recent years when the program was up," Garcia Jr. said. "Part of the issue in 2020 has clearly been the quarterback room, from a production or depth perspective, two areas in which a guy like Garrett Shrader could potentially help now and into the future.
"Shrader was the guy for 10 games at Mississippi State in 2019, throwing for 1,170 yards and 8 touchdowns versus 5 interceptions while completing 57.5 % of his passes. Not great. But MSU didn't throw it as much with him in the lineup, so numbers like yards per attempt help tell a more comparative story. Over a large sample size, he sat at 7.6 yards per attempt against the rugged SEC defenses, including national champion LSU, Alabama and others. For context, the mark would align him with Ian Book (Notre Dame) and have him ahead of other QBs leading a winning program in the ACC at Boston College (Phil Jurkovec, 7.5) and Miami (D'Eriq King, 7.1). Tommy Devito sat at 6.1 before suffering his injury.
"A middle-of-the-pack passer from an efficiency standpoint, with a chip on his shoulder and the running game to keep any defense on his toes -- with three years of eligibility remaining -- won't be the worst thing for the Orange. Even with the impending arrival of SI All-American candidate Justin Lamson, he'd instantly be the most athletic quarterback on the SU roster should Dino Babers and company reel him in the second time around.”
