G

arrett Shrader wants to throw the ball. In fact, he would throw the ball every play if he could. He knows he can throw. His receivers know. His coaches know. He just needs the chance.

So it’s a good thing that Syracuse hired Robert Anae, whose offense is built around Shrader’s arm rather than Sterlin Gilbert’s rushing attack from 2021. After years of different systems, new coaches, a new team and run play after run play, Shrader will now have the opportunity to prove he’s a legitimate passing quarterback.

“Garrett’s a tremendous passer,” said Anthony Boone, Shrader’s longtime quarterbacks coach. “He just hasn’t been in a system that fits his style of passing.” 

That’s why Shrader’s so excited about this season. He will lead a pass-centric offense that has guided quarterbacks to record-breaking passing seasons with Sean Tucker, one of the country’s best running backs, to set up the pass game. When fused together, it gives Shrader the opportunity to be a legitimate aerial threat this year. 

Last season, Shrader struggled in the passing game. He threw the ball fine last year, but receivers couldn’t find space, he said in the spring. His completion percentage (52.6) was 15th in the league, which was last among qualified passers, and SU also ranked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing yards per game. Syracuse’s new coaching tandem of Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck previously led Virginia, which ranked first in passing yards per game last season. 

Anae arrived to SU and told his new offense that his main focus was improving their weakness — throwing the ball. The new air raid attack gives Shrader the opportunity to throw the ball frequently, something he’s always wanted, his father Tracey said.

Shrader spent hours with Boone in the offseason, making his throwing motion quicker and preparing him for frequent deep passes. After recovering from a few nagging injuries during and after last season, Shrader is healthy entering his first full year as Syracuse’s starter.

Last year, Shrader felt restricted. But this year, everything will be different, he says. Shrader’s arm will play a large role in whether the Orange move the ball this season. And by season’s end, maybe he’ll be more than just a big quarterback who can run. He’ll be a legitimate dual-threat signal caller, Boone said. 

“I think he’s respected as a runner,” Boone said, “But I think he’s overlooked as a passer.” 

Shrader totaled over 1,300 rushing yards on 286 attempts from 2019-21 while throwing just 387 times. In high school, a young offensive line forced Shrader to scramble more, his mother Christie said. Last year, Shrader played with an elite running back and an inexperienced wide receiving core, leading SU to adopt a run-first approach. 

But Shrader sees himself as a pass-first quarterback. He came to Syracuse for the opportunity to play in an up-tempo, air-raid offense. Not to be a receiver like he was at Mississippi State in 2020, not to play in a run-first system like last year or a “complicated” pro-style system like in 2019 with the Bulldogs. 

When Boone and Shrader reconvened after last season, they focused on improving mechanics and developing a faster throwing motion twice a week. Shrader’s high school coach, Jason Estep, said Shrader always had a longer motion due to his tall, lean frame. Estep’s son, Cam, who regularly trains with Shrader, pointed to a shoulder injury Shrader suffered in high school as an explanation for the slowness. 

Boone instilled in Shrader’s mind that he needs to get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible. They run a drill called “gun’s row,” where Boone will snap three balls as fast as he can while Shrader stands in shotgun. It helps arm and hand speed, Boone said, because right as Shrader releases a ball, the next one arrives in his hands. 

Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

“He obviously has tremendous arm strength, it’s just a matter of getting the ball out as quick as he can,” Estep said.

Shrader struggled last year on deep balls, particularly in a three-game stretch against Boston College, Louisville and NC State when he averaged just 58 passing yards per game. He didn’t complete a pass over 25 yards, frequently underthrowing receivers. Boone, however, said Shrader just wasn’t asked to make deep throws last year.

Instead of the curls and slants that Syracuse ran frequently last season, to prepare Shrader, Boone had him throw crosses 20-plus yards downfield, dig routes 15 yards over linebackers and safeties, deep shots against a single-high safety and posts versus two safeties — all from within the pocket. They’re all throws Shrader can make, Boone said.

“People question his arm strength, but I’ve seen the kid since high school, arm strength is not an issue for him,” Boone said. 

Shrader does additional training with Cam, an Appalachian State commit. They’ve worked out regularly together for the last four years, throwing as many as three or four times a week for an hour. He’s emphasized Cam staying healthy, as Shrader had shoulder surgery in high school and wants to protect the younger QB’s shoulder. The pair spend 10 minutes before each workout doing arm care to ensure their elbows and shoulders are healthy before throwing. 

Shrader has dealt with several injuries over the past 12 months. After absorbing a huge hit on his final pass against Virginia Tech in October, Shrader laid on the field for several moments, unable to get up, and wore a protective boot during postgame interviews. He missed SU’s spring game after a mild hamstring injury in a late-March practice. Shrader later told Christie that he should’ve drank more water beforehand.

He insists a lingering elbow injury isn’t a concern heading into the season, but it was a problem throughout last year. Shrader was shut down from throwing for a period of time in the spring, Boone said, so the two focused on footwork drills, drops and watching more film. Shrader told Cam that he trained when he shouldn’t have, and got back into the recovery process in April. The recovery appears to have gone smoothly, with Shrader missing zero practice this offseason, feeling “a lot better” entering the season.

For a hard-nosed quarterback like Shrader, injuries may be inevitable. SU’s repeatedly lost  starting quarterbacks to serious injuries over the past few years. But its new offense emphasizes passing over running and features a strong offensive line. Christie said Shrader’s gotten better at getting out of bounds or sliding instead of potentially putting himself at risk. 

Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

Boone said Shrader wasn’t confident in SU’s pass game last season, feeling that plays weren’t called at the right time and featured the wrong concept and personnel. 

“It wasn’t a very confident passing attack,” Boone said. 

But things have opened up this year, Shrader said, with SU incorporating more personnel and a wide variety of concepts.

“It’s a lot more fun,” Shrader said. 

Teammates said the connection between Shrader and his receivers has increased significantly. Fullback Chris Elmore said the offense is running smoother with the offense all-in on Shrader. Wide receiver Courtney Jackson can now communicate with Shrader just by looking at him. Even Tucker has worked on becoming a bigger receiving threat, providing Shrader with another weapon. 

Still, there have been some kinks to work out — Shrader keeps working on his deep ball accuracy and Beck tells him to improve on connecting on windows over the middle of the field. But Babers said Shrader is throwing the ball better, and there’s been better timing on routes. 

Estep said Shrader will benefit from playing in a spread offense, as he should see pressure and coverages more clearly. When Shrader played in a spread system in high school, he would take off and run more, Estep said. This offense still gives him the ability to make plays on the ground like last year. 

Boone said Shrader’s never been so excited about an upcoming season. Estep said he’s never seen Shrader physically look better. After all the bumps in the road from years prior — the 46 and 63-yard passing games, the injuries, the offseason workouts with Boone and Cam, the installation of the new offense, the 9 p.m. bed times during summer camp — now, Garrett Shrader is ready to throw the ball every play. 

Photographs courtesy of SU Athletics

Published on September 1, 2022 at 1:19 am

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_