Former Mississippi State football starting quarterback Garrett Shrader announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday. Shrader was the 2019 starting quarterback for Mississippi State before being changed to a wide receiver by new head coach Mike Leach.
“I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and Mississippi State fan base that has supported me during my time at MSU. I have had the opportunity to develop friendships that will last a lifetime. Starkville is a special place,” Shrader said on Twitter. “This is not an easy decision but I am a QB and it’s the 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.”
Shrader’s departure leaves a lingering ‘what if’ question up in the air. Under former head coach Joe Moorhead, Shrader took command of the starting reins after starting quarterback Tommy Stevens went down in the middle of the Southern Miss game. From that moment on, it seemed like the future was bright for Shrader.
Shrader quickly became the starting quarterback and had a successful true freshman campaign. In 10 games, Shrader went for 1,170 passing yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He was also incredibly mobile, rushing the ball 113 times for 587 yards and six scores. Before the Music City Bowl, an incident in practice left Shrader with a reported fractured orbital bone causing him to miss the game. Shrader would never play a down at quarterback again for Mississippi State football.
The former quarterback seems to have grown tired of the position change and wants another shot at being a starting FBS quarterback.
In the offseason, Shrader fell behind K.J. Costello and true freshman Will Rogers in the quarterback competition, first prompting the position change. Though he has suited up and played in every game so far this season, Shrader has just one catch for eight yards.
In his Saturday afternoon press conference, Leach was very to the point in his answers to questions regarding Shrader.
When asked if he had any conversations with the former quarterback before his decision, Leach replied, “No, not really.” He continued saying, “Garrett wants to play quarterback, and we wish the best. He was a good teammate, and we enjoyed having him.”
In regards to the quarterback competition, Leach had this to say about the depth chart order.
“They outperformed him,” Leach said. “And then, we felt like he would make a great tight end. We still think that. But he has other interests. Like I say, we wish him the best. I don’t really have any comments on him, we just wish him the best. If he decides he wants to be a quarterback, I hope that works out for him.”
Shrader enters the transfer portal with three years of eligibility left.
Photo courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications
My name is Colin Bailey and I’m a Los Angeles native and currently a Journalism Major/Sports Media Minor at the University of Colorado Boulder.