One of the prizes of Mississippi State’s 2019 signing class is already on campus in Starkville, as Charlotte quarterback Garrett Shrader has not only arrived but he’s practicing with his new Bulldog teammates as they prepare for the Outback Bowl against Iowa.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Shrader is rated as the nation’s No. 6 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 248 overall prospect in the nation by 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also one of five of MSU’s four-star signees of the early signing period.

With Nick Fitzgerald exhausting his eligibility following the Outback Bowl, Shrader will be in contention to replace him in the starting lineup this offseason, along with sophomore Keytaon Thompson. Shrader is getting a jump start on the competition, arriving for Outback Bowl practices leading up to the team’s offseason conditioning and spring practices.

Two practices into his MSU career, how is the freshman looking?

Here is what Joe Moorhead had to say when asked if Shrader’s head is his head spinning a bit.

“Yeah, kinda hard to get the offense installed in two days,” Moorhead answered. “We gave him a handful of pass routes, some seven-on-seven. He looked pretty sharp yesterday. He came out and had a rough stretch to start in his first few reps this morning and finished with a good strong throw. That was exciting.”

As you’d expect, while Moorhead isn’t putting much stock into what the freshman shows under center at this time but he does note how valuable arriving early to campus can be for any player — most especially a quarterback.

“Again, anytime you can get a player, particularly a quarterback, a little taste of what it’s going to be like and get here full time, I think that’s very beneficial,” Moorhead said.