The unbelievable journey of Cody Schrader, from Truman State to

• Chris Low, ESPN Elder WriterDec 29, 2023, 07:00 AM ET Close College football reporter Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007

• Graduate of the University of Tennessee

When he wasn’t running roughshod through Division II defenses at Truman State, Cody Schrader had no interest in viewing other games on television in his extra time.It didn’t matter who was playing, be it groups from the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or anybody else on college football’s greatest phases.

“I didn’t take notice of any of the big-time Department I football games even if I constantly saw myself having the ability to dip into that level and play in the biggest games even if nobody else did,” Schrader told ESPN. “I was mad about it. I wouldn’t view, couldn’t enjoy.”

Now fans throughout the nation are viewing Schrader on those huge phases, and defenses on those “big-time Department I football” teams are struggling to stop the 5-foot-9, 214-pound dynamo. In his 2nd season at Missouri after moving from Truman State as a walk-on, Schrader leads all FBS players with an average of 129.4 hurrying yards per game.His 1,499

rushing lawns is 365 more than the closest SEC player this season, and he ended up being the very first player in SEC history to rush for 200 backyards (205) and have 100 receiving backyards (116) in the very same game in Missouri’s 36-7 pummeling of Tennessee.Schrader has actually been one

of college football’s most captivating stories, one that will reach a climax Friday night when No. 9 Missouri handles No. 7 Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (8 p.m. ET, ESPN and the ESPN App).

“If you understand Cody, I don’t think he ‘d change anything about the method his career has unfolded.” stated Gregg Nesbitt, Schrader’s coach at Truman State. “The capability has actually existed all along, and after that there’s the work ethic, which you can’t duplicate, and I’m not talking about [just] an excellent rival, however an elite rival. And for some guys at that level, there’s a sense of privilege that might slip in. However not with Cody.

“He’s the same person now, as the SEC’s top running back, as he was when everyone missed on him coming out of high school.”

The most enduring image of Schrader’s storybook 2023 season came when his colleagues raised him on their shoulders after his record-setting efficiency versus Tennessee, triggering Nesbitt to tweet, “This will become a film.” Schrader gets an opportunity to compose the ending of the script in his college football farewell against the Buckeyes, topping an improbable career fueled by persistence and self-belief. After all, in spite of hurrying for 6,759 yards and 99 touchdowns at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, Schrader was an afterthought when the Division I colleges began giving out scholarships.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Curtis Luper, the running backs coach at Missouri, stated he believes Schrader was neglected mainly for one factor, even if it wasn’t obvious.”I believe it’s pretty apparent. Cody’s a unicorn, a white running back, and you just do not see that at this level,” stated Luper, a 25-year training veteran who is Black and dipped into Oklahoma State with future Hall of Fame running backs Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas. “Let’s be honest. I believe a great deal of individuals had a difficult time thinking what they were seeing out there on the field when Cody was in high school. “Carl Reed, now a college football expert for 247 Sports, coached versus Schrader in high school at competing Lutheran North and said Schrader stays the very best running back he has actually ever coached versus. Reed, who is Black, isn’t surprised by what Schrader has actually done at Missouri.” It’s the very same thing he was doing in high school, “Reed said.”We had 10 Division I players on our team, and he went through us like a hot knife through butter. It’s not like the St. Louis area was lacking talent, either. It’s simply that there were concerns about him as a white running back that would not have existed had he been a Black running back. He wasn’t what individuals were looking for. “I know that’s a sensitive subject and individuals do not want to say it, however I was there. I saw it.”Sylvester Croom was the SEC’s first Black head football coach, at Mississippi State from 2004 to 2008, and coached running

backs in the NFL for 21 years with seven companies. Having actually recruited in the SEC, Croom comprehends how numerous schools might have ignored Schrader. “You do not see many white kids playing running back, period, in high school, not kids who are going to be playing that position in the SEC

,”Croom said.”I imply, that’s the deal. You simply don’t see it.”But Croom has remained in adequate locker rooms to understand that there’s no fooling the players. “Guys may joke about it, like white guys can’t leap and all that type of things,” he said. “But let me inform you something: If that joker can play, the

guys up there in the offending line ain’t going to take a Black running back that can’t run over a white kid who can. They’re going to be like, ‘Hey, get your white butt out here and let’s roll.'” Schrader said the issue of race has actually never truly resonated with him, although he admits he’s been the subject of some good-natured kidding from colleagues.”

We have among the closest locker spaces you might ever think of, and in a lively method, you might hear,’ Man, that white kid can run,’or something like that,

“he said.”The lovely feature of this team is that they have actually treated me just like among the guys even when I can be found in as a walk-on. They never ever treated me any differently. “We all desired the exact same thing, to win. “Schrader is among just three white running backs in the SEC to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark over the previous 50 years, making his odyssey a lot more unusual. The other 2 were Jacob Hester from LSU’s 2007 national championship group and Mississippi State’s Wayne Jones in 1973. Schrader is the first white back to lead the SEC in rushing given that Alabama’s Johnny Musso did it in 1970 and 1971.”It may be another 50 years before a white running back does it once again, which tells you how unique Cody is,”Reed said.Hester, who played five seasons in the NFL, enjoys to tell a story from the 2007 SEC national championship, when LSU

played Tennessee. He was tackled by the Vols’ Jerod Mayo, who is now the New England Patriots’linebackers coach, and Hester’s helmet popped off. As they were getting up from the pile, Hester said Mayo looked at him, grinned and stated jokingly, “Hey, you’re a white guy. Shouldn’t you be playing at Flying force?”That sort of chatter wasn’t unusual, Hester stated, however he stated it was never bothersome.”When you’re in that locker room, all that matters to your teammates is whether or not you can play, and that’s the method it need to be,”Hester stated. Cody Schrader became the very first SEC running back with more than 200 yards hurrying and 100 backyards receiving in a game. Kylie Graham/USA TODAY Sports WHEN SCHRADER WAS givena possibility, there was never any question he could play. And he never ever enabled his disappointment to get the best of him even when numerous recruiters told his high school coaches he wasn’t a Division I back.”No one would ever actually say why,” said Desmond Reichold, who was Schrader’s offensive organizer at Lutheran South and now coaches at Webster Groves High.”He did it all for us, covered kicks, might return kicks, could have been an excellent linebacker in college.” And you speak about strength. He ended up a state semifinal game for us after breaking his sternum and did it by running over a guy. The guy’s face mask went into Cody’s sternum as the guy was falling backwards.

“The lack of interest, even from FCS schools, was discouraging for Schrader and everybody close to him, however he refused to let it break him.”He’s declined to let anything beat him, on the field or off,”

Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz stated.”That’s his frame of mind and what separates him.”For a fleeting moment, Northern Colorado looked as if it may be a possible landing spot, but the school lost interest when it landed another player it was recruiting. Schrader spent the next four years at Truman State in Kirksville, Missouri, a Division II school with a bit more than 3,900 students.Schrader was the nationwide Division II rushing leader in 2021 with 2,074 backyards and showcased the same mix of toughness, vision and production he carried out in high school. Although he appreciated his time at Truman State, he wished for more.Capital One Bowl Mania Go ideal in your bowl picks and win approximately $1 million, plus more prizes! Make Your Picks He still desired a shot to use college football’s most significant stage, and he got the opportunity thanks

to a favor Drinkwitz felt he owed a prominent donor. The Missouri coach occurred to be consulting with Steve

Trulaske after the Tigers’ 2021 season. Trulaske understood Schrader from working out at the very same health club as him and asked Drinkwitz if he would take a look at Schrader if he sent him a tape.”That’s the very first time I heard Cody’s name, and what was I going to state, that I wasn’t intrigued?”Drinkwitz stated.” The next early morning, Steve sends me a text and resembled,’Hey, did you see the tape? ‘and I had not viewed it.

So I said,’We ‘d love to have him. Send him over.’Since, truly, at the end of the day, I was more thinking about getting the donation. I didn’t want to make Steve mad.”Sure enough, Schrader appeared on campus in January along with the early 2022 enrollees. The only thing Drinkwitz had promised him was the opportunity to stroll on. Absolutely nothing else. “In my mind, I’m believing,’You can constantly utilize another walk-on running back on down the depth chart the way those guys get battered,’ “Drinkwitz recalled.Schrader was determined on being more than just”another walk-on running back, “and in virtual privacy, he went to work. His sanctuary was the weight space, and he soaked up every aspect of the Tigers’offseason conditioning program. He wanted to play anywhere on the field, particularly on special

teams, and began to turn heads after playing well in the spring game. He continued to acquire momentum in the summer, and after that a set of running backs– freshman Tavorus Jones and Stanford transfer Nathaniel Peat– suffered injuries in preseason camp.”The last man standing was Cody Schrader, and he’s never ever recalled, not when,”Drinkwitz said. “And I’m happy Steve asked me a second time about that tape.”It didn’t take Schrader long to make his scholarship as he went from walk-on to Missouri’s leading rusher in 2022 with 746 backyards. This season, he blossomed into among the nation’s most total running backs.A punishing runner, Schrader ranks seventh among FBS players with 788 lawns after contact, and he has fumbled just when in 248 carries. And, yes, he’s still irritated over that one lost fumble. Among the knocks on Schrader was that he didn’t have that additional gear to accelerate like much of the elite backs. Yet he ranks second in the FBS to Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II with

11 runs of 30 yards or longer. Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner, and Schrader were the only FBS running backs with more than 240 brings who averaged more than 6 yards per carry.In the passing game, Schrader caught 22 passes and had the second-highest pass-blocking grade among SEC running backs(behind Georgia’s Daijun Edwards), according to Pro Football Focus. And he didn’t pad his stats by rolling up huge numbers versus outmanned teams; Schrader rushed for 100 lawns versus six of Mizzou’s eight SEC opponents.”I have an old-school running design that I believe a lot of people haven’t seen at the Department I level for a long

time, “stated Schrader, who was the first player in three years to rush for 100 lawns versus Georgia in the Tigers’30-21 loss to the then-No. 1 Bulldogs.”I think it took the right suitable for me to get this opportunity, which is maybe part of why I didn’t receive a lot of interest,”he stated.

“I’m more of an old-school, downhill, one-cut running back. I do not have that Reggie Bush or Saquon Barkley style that individuals see in most of the premier running backs. It just took a while for people to think in me, even the Mizzou fans, and I understand that.

“ Even as the leading rusher in Division II, Schrader had just one FCS offer after going into the transfer website. Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire SCHRADER’S COMMITMENT AND commitment are famous. He went through practice scripts on his own during freezing temperature levels one night last December after missing practice earlier in the day because he was taking part in graduation events. And this season, after injuring a quad, he invested more than 12 hours a day in the football complex receiving treatment to make sure he didn’t miss any games.”He’s the leader of this group. He’s the one who holds everybody liable in everything we do,”said Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, who is Schrader’s roommate.Schrader has constantly held himself accountable too. When he entered the transfer website after the 2021 season at Truman State, he made certain he would get at least some Power 5 interest. He got none. In fact, he said the only FCS offer he received was from Southern Illinois. Whatever else remained in the Department II ranks, where he had actually currently shown himself.Nesbitt keeps in mind receiving the call from Schrader that he was getting in the website.”It was time for him to go. I told him so,”Nesbitt stated.” I tell everybody that I slept like a baby after that call and then got up every two hours and wept when he actually left. He made us all appear like pretty good coaches.”However if not for the invite to Missouri, Schrader stated, he was close to going back to Truman State. There was no other way he was going to turn his back on his brothers there simply to begin once again at another Department II school.”I would have never ever done that,”Schrader stated.

“But I understood if I could simply get on the practice field at Missouri, that’s all I needed. I love this game, and I simply enjoy whatever about it. I inform individuals all the time that when I’m on the field and when I’m playing, it’s the only time I feel definitely devoid of the world.”

Luper detected that vibe pretty rapidly, although he notes that Schrader was about 8th on the depth chart when he arrived on school. “He does not wish to come off the field,” Luper said.”He had more than 300 lawns in that Tennessee game, covered kickoffs, covered punts, made a tackle. That’s who he is.”He’s simply a various breed.”Luper has put his old colleague, Thurman Thomas, in touch with Schrader, and they’re planning to talk once again after the season. Thomas slipped to the 2nd round of the NFL draft after concerns were raised about an injury to his knee.”

Thurman had a chip on his shoulder his entire NFL career,”Luper said.”Cody’s going to be the specific same method. He’s going to be ignored at the next level similar to he was at this level, and he’s going to show them wrong. “Luper stopped briefly and included with focus:”Again.”