In the history of the program, Syracuse has had some memorable quarterbacks and some that are very forgettable. Fans will never forget names like Eric Dungey, Don McPherson, and Donovan McNabb. But where will Garrett Shrader stand in terms of his legacy with the Orange?
Shrader’s career will forever be plagued by the fact he never played a full season. In his first season, 2021, Shrader didn’t take the starting job until four games into the season. He did replace a current NFL starting quarterback (still crazy to say) Tommy DeVito if that is worth anything. Shraders best season running the football came in his first but the Orange didn’t make a bowl game that season. SU lost three in a row by three points to Florida State, Wake Forest, and Clemson before ending the season with back-to-back losses against ranked teams to go 5-7.
2022 was Shraders year to make a massive leap. His first year as the starting quarterback from day 1 and the Carolina native had an all-American runningback next to him in Sean Tucker. QB1 led the Orange to a 6-0 start and played well in a heartbreaking loss on the road against Clemson. But then, Shraders injury issues started to plague him. He was a little banged up going into the game against Notre Dame, but got even more hurt and had to be pulled.
SU then lost a winnable game at Pitt with Carlos Del Rio Wilson starting and we all know how the season ended. Syracuse made it to a bowl but just limped there. Shrader was then out for all of spring ball this year and was on a snap count for most of fall camp.
Shrader started off this season strong. After Oronde Gadsden was ruled out for the year, the senior stepped up and delivered a gem of a game against Purdue with a dominating rushing attack. But then against Clemson, Shrader took some big hits and never looked the same. QB1 crawled through the UNC, FSU, and VT games before finally having to sit out against Pitt. It’s hard to say what would have happened this season for the Orange if Shrader was fully healthy. Its hard to say what would have happened last year as well.
Whether or not Shrader plays in a bowl game is still unknown. If he does, he’ll most likely finish 5th all time in career passing yards. Shrader is 3rd all time in career rushing touchdowns and helped lead the Orange to back to back bowl games. His legacy is a confusing one but one that I think SU fans will remember for a long time.
