Syracuse Expressing Interest in Transfer QB

A former Syracuse recruiting target is in the portal and the Orange have reached out.

Former class of 2019 quarterback Garrett Shrader has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. Shrader signed with Mississippi State and has spent the last two seasons there. Shrader told AllSyracuse.com that Syracuse has already expressed interest by reaching out to his high school coach. Shrader was offered and recruited by the Orange, among a plethora of other power five schools, out of high school. Shrader said he is currently open to all schools, including Syracuse.

“I would like to thank my teammates coaches and Mississippi State fan base that has supported me during my time at MSU,” Shrader wrote on Twitter. “I have had the opportunity to develop friendships that will last a lifetime. Starkville is a special place. This is not an easy decision, but I am a QB and it’s a skill set that got me here and fortunately I have been blessed to play in the SEC. With this being said I have three years of eligibility and have entered the transfer portal. I wish nothing but the best for Mississippi State University and especially Mississippi State Football. My recruitment is 100% open. Please respect my decision.”

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Shrader had been switched to wide receiver this season, but has not seen much playing time. He has one catch for eight yards in only one game played. As a true freshman quarterback, he saw action in 10 games. He completed 88 of 153 pass attempts (57.5%) for 1,170 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. Shrader also ran for 587 yards with a 5.2 yards per carry average and six touchdowns as a freshman. Shrader is listed at 6-4, 215 pounds on the MSU Athletics website. He attended Charlotte Christian School in high school.

In 2019, perhaps his best game was against the eventual national champion LSU Tigers. He went 17-28 for 238 yards and ran for 66 yards on nine carries. He had two total touchdowns in the game as well, but did throw two interceptions. The next week against Texas A&M, he threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns while running for 64 yards. Earlier in the season in a win over Kentucky, he ran for 125 yards on 11 carries.

Shrader is a true dual threat quarterback who was considered one of the best such players in the 2019 class.

SI All-American’s John Garcia Jr. thinks it would be 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. 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.

We know SU was interested in high school and AllSyracuse has confirmed renewed interest since Shrader announced his transfer from Mississippi State this week. It's because he is big, physical and presents a defense with plenty on any given snap with his ability to push the ball down the field and make plays with his legs. It's near consensus that he has more work to do as a passer than as a runner, so let's focus there.

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.”