A three-year Orange starter finds a new home in the Pacific Northwest
Former Syracuse Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader is heading north of the border for his next opportunity. Poetically, it’ll primarily be in another Dome.
Shrader inked a deal with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Terms of the contract were not discosed in the team’s announcement.
Another one for the QB room #BCLions sign former @CuseFootball standout @GarrettShrader6
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— BC LIONS (@BCLions) December 10, 2024
The Lions play in the 54-thousand seat BC Place in Vancouver. The franchise has won Six Grey Cups but have not claimed the Westen Division since 2011. They’re coming off a 9-9 campaign.
Shrader has not suited up since his final college game on November 25, 2023. After that game, he underwent a procedure on his throwing arm – the second one he had in his college career.
Garrett joined the Orange as a transfer from Mississippi State in 2021. He usurped Tommy DeVito as starting QB in Week 4 and went on to produce 2,226 all-purpose yards (781 on the ground) and 23 total TDs to just four interceptions the rest of the season.
In 2022, Shrader utilized his arm much more to the tune of 2,640 passing yards. That offense shifted away from the ground-and-pound strategy with him and Sean Tucker and heavily utilized Oronde Gadsden as the team’s top receiving threat. It was enough for SU to jump out to a 6-0 start and #14 AP ranking. They eventually finished 7-5 and qualified for the Pinstripe Bowl.
2023 saw Shrader go back to his legs a bit more as Gadsden was lost for the year in Week 2. He tied an SU program record with four rushing touchdowns in their Week 3 victory at Purdue, and he also rushed for over 100 yards in their return to Yankee Stadium to play Pitt.
Shrader’s four touchdown performance against Wake Forest got the Orange a sixth win and consecutive bowl berths for the first time since 2012-13. Although he elected not to participate in it this time, his contributions to the program are nothing to scoff at and we wish him the best as he takes his first steps on the Doug Flutie route to a pro career.