Syracuse Football: Much love to QB Garrett Shrader, who battled injury to lead SU to bowl

Syracuse football senior quarterback Garrett Shrader has culminated his career on the Hill, and he delayed surgery on his shoulder to help guide the Orange to a bowl game for the second year in a row.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Shrader, who hails from Charlotte, N.C., played three seasons with the ‘Cuse after transferring to SU from Southeastern Conference school Mississippi State.

On Monday, Syracuse football said in a post on its X page, “Quarterback Garrett Shrader underwent successful surgery at the conclusion of the regular season and will not play in Thursday’s bowl game. He had been playing with a tear in his shoulder since October.”

On Thursday, Dec. 21, beginning at 8 pm, the ‘Cuse (6-6, 2-6 in the ACC) will play American Athletic Conference member South Florida (6-6) in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl from Florida Atlantic University Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla., with ESPN providing television coverage.

Syracuse football is participating in bowl games in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 2012 and 2013, and Shrader battled through injury of late to make that a reality. I have a ton of love, admiration and respect for him.

Syracuse football QB Garrett Shrader, despite being injured, put his team first.

In a statement from SU Athletics on Monday, Shrader said, “It was important for me to get our team to a bowl game. I would have done it earlier in the season, but I wanted to wait until we got bowl eligible. This team has too much talent and works too hard not to play a 13th game. … It’s been a blessing and a privilege to play for Syracuse University. I'm glad my final game in the Dome was an opportunity to help this team get to a bowl. I want to thank Coach Babers and his staff for the opportunity to play here. I'm looking to forward to supporting my teammates down in Boca.”

Late last month, Shrader, despite dealing with a tear in his shoulder, played a pivotal role in the Orange knocking off fellow Atlantic Conference foe Wake Forest, 35-31, at the JMA Wireless Dome to clinch bowl eligibility for Syracuse football for the second straight season.

Against the Demon Deacons, all Shrader did was complete 10-of-15 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. In that Atlantic Coast Conference clash, he also ran the ball 10 times for 46 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Shrader spent the 2019 and 2020 stanzas at Mississippi State, and then he played for the ‘Cuse in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 terms.

He was a standout at the Charlotte Christian School. In the 2019 recruiting cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rated him as four stars, No. 249 nationally, No. 7 at dual-threat quarterback and No. 10 in North Carolina within his class.

According to his bio on the ESPN Web site, here are Shrader’s statistics during his three years playing for Syracuse football, as well as his career totals, including his time at Mississippi State.

2021 Season

•Completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 1,445 yards, with nine touchdowns and four interceptions

•Ran the ball 173 times for 781 yards and 14 touchdowns

2022 Season

•Completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,640 yards, with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions

•Ran the ball 149 times for 453 yards and nine touchdowns

2023 Season

•Completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 1,686 yards, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions

•Ran the ball 113 times for 469 yards and eight touchdowns

Entire College Career

•Completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 6,941 yards, with 47 touchdowns and 22 interceptions

•Ran the ball 548 times for 2,290 yards and 37 touchdowns

Emily Leiker of Syracuse.com reported on Monday that Shrader is looking at a six-month recovery for his shoulder injury, and he plans to pursue a career in the NFL.

The press statement from SU Athletics on Monday detailed where some of Shrader’s performances stack up in the history of the Syracuse football program. I highly recommend taking a glance to get a bit of context regarding Shrader’s tenure on the Hill.

From all of us in Orange Nation, congratulations on a wonderful career at the ‘Cuse, Garrett Shrader. We love you, and we thank you for battling through injury to help Syracuse football reach a bowl game for the second year in a row.