There’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the SU quarterback room for the upcoming 2022 football season. Much like last year, the team features an incumbent starter with plenty of game experience, a transfer backup with tons of upside, and a steady stream of players waiting in the wings in case of emergency.
Incumbent Starter: Garrett Shrader - Junior
Head Coach Dino Babers surprised many after naming Garrett Shrader the starter three weeks into the 2021 season. After all, the Orange were 2-1, and the Mississippi State transfer hadn’t started a game at quarterback in two seasons. Those doubts were quickly put to rest as Shrader proved to be the general SU seemed to be lacking the previous few years.
His athletic traits are obvious. The former wideout is listed at 6-foot-4, 230 lbs., and he used all of his big frame to rush for nearly 800 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. He also has a solid arm and exhibits great toughness in the pocket, never more apparent than his 45-yard bomb to Damien Alford to beat Virginia Tech in the waning moments.
However, there’s no doubt the junior has some weaknesses. While the quarterback has only nine career interceptions in 22 games, his biggest flaw is his accuracy. With Mississippi State in 2019, Shrader completed just 57.5% of his passes; however, he was a freshman, and one would figure that’d improve over time.... In 2021, that wasn’t the case. His completion rate dipped to 52.6%. In fact, he only has completed at least 60% of his throws once in his nine starts under center.
Overall, it’s fair to expect a leap up in production for the Charlotte native. He possesses the ideal size, speed, and arm talent for a quarterback. If he fixes his accuracy, he might just be the man to lead Syracuse to its first bowl appearance in four years.
Projected Backup: Carlos Del Rio-Wilson - Redshirt Freshman
Similar to Garrett Shrader, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson is a transfer from an SEC school (Florida), and is expected to be the backup quarterback. However, Del Rio-Wilson won’t get the same opportunities Shrader had to win the starting job - at least to begin 2022.
“We're not divvying up anything,” Head Coach Dino Babers said. “Shrader’s getting the majority of the reps and everybody else needs to fight and find a way to get them.”
It’s tough to figure exactly how Del Rio-Wilson will be used for Syracuse this season. The Georgian was ranked 58th on ESPN’s Top 300 High School prospects for the class of 2021 but didn’t appear in any games for the Gators. Expect him to see the field at some point whether it’s in garbage time, after a lackluster performance by Shrader, and/or situational packages that calls for his dual-threat skillset.
Third-String Options: JaCobian Morgan - Redshirt Freshman, Dan Villari - Redshirt Freshman
JaCobian Morgan and Dan Villari were both three-star recruits in 2020 and have seen limited action to begin their collegiate careers. Morgan offers more experience both in terms of game reps and knowledge of the system. The Mississippi native started two games for the Orange in 2020, becoming just the seventh true freshman quarterback to start a game at the position. In 2021, he completed just one pass all season.
Villari on the other hand, wasn’t a Syracuse recruit. Instead, he signed with Michigan out of high school. He attempted just three passes in two years with the Maize and Blue. Villari is a New Yorker and made first-team All-State and All-Long Island while in High School.
“When I was in ninth grade, I used to train with my quarterbacks coach,” Villari said. “He used to say to me, ‘where do you want to go? What’s your dream?’ I would say, ‘I want to play at Syracuse.’ He would tell me, ‘you're going to play at Syracuse.”
As of now, Villari figures to be more of a depth piece rather than playing an impactful role for this upcoming season, but he does have prototypical size (6’4” 237 lbs) so he certainly provides upside down the road.