BY BEN PORTNOY
STARKVILLE — Garrett Shrader’s head was spinning.
Just weeks removed from his final high school game at Charlotte Christian, Shrader enrolled early to participate in a handful of practices leading up to last season’s Outback Bowl against Iowa.
Still adjusting to college life, let alone the intricacies of coach Joe Moorhead’s offense, Shrader was simply trying to keep his head above water, so to speak.
“My first one wasn’t that bad because I had (Nick Fitzgerald) helping me out,” Shrader said. “The second day they left it up to me and it was bad. (I was) like 1 for 6 maybe. I about threw three picks.”
But one year on from Shrader’s chaotic bowl camp, the freshman signal caller is only days away from starting the Music City Bowl in Nashville against Louisville — a position that seemed far-fetched at best entering the 2019 season.
“Although we talk about this being the exclamation point on the 2019 season and kind of a momentum-builder towards the 2020 season, we’re starting Garrett because he’s earned the right to be the starter,” Moorhead said last week. “I think he’s 2-2 in the games he’s started — two SEC games. He’s moved the ball well against teams that we haven’t beaten. He’s fully healthy and has the confidence of the team.”
Entering fall camp, Shrader was an afterthought of sorts. Junior incumbent Keytaon Thompson had won the starting job out of spring ball, but the arrival of graduate transfer Tommy Stevens sparked a competition heading into the fall.
After two weeks of practices, Moorhead named Stevens the starter for MSU’s season opener against Louisiana. Thompson entered the transfer portal in the following days, though he would ultimately stay in Starkville. Shrader remained in the background — for the time being.
One week after leading MSU to a 38-28 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns, Stevens succumbed to an upper-body injury in the early stages of MSU’s home opener against Southern Mississippi.
Instead of siding with the experienced Thompson, Moorhead and his staff turned to their bearded freshman to replace Stevens. Shrader responded — completing 7 of 11 passes for 71 yards while adding another 16 yards on nine rushing attempts.
“It was just next man up and that’s how we played,” Shrader said at the time. “We had a bunch of young guys make big plays today.”
With his first collegiate action behind him, Shrader saw time in 10 of MSU’s final 11 games as Stevens continued to battle a litany of injuries and Thompson was rather quietly relegated to the bench.
“There’s never been an attitude like ‘I’m going to get mine this week,'” Shrader said of his relationship with Stevens. “It’s always helping each other out — especially him, he’s been in the offense longer than I have so asking him questions and him being willing to help out.”
Speaking with the media last week, Shrader opened up about the wild ride that has been this season. Boasting his soothing southern drawl and dry sense of humor he quipped that last year’s bowl practices were a blur.
“That was something else,” he said through a coy laugh. “That was a good experience to be there but I didn’t know what I was doing.”
More pressing, the one-time backup is set to get a head start on the 2020 season — one in which he’ll almost certainly begin spring ball as the No. 1 quarterback and long term solution at quarterback in Starkville.
“It feels like just yesterday I was back here a year ago trying to run plays I didn’t even know,” he said. “It’s been good.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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