Mizzou football running back Cody Schrader declares for 2024 NFL Draft
Cody Schrader’s next step is now official.
The storied Mizzou football running back announced Thursday that he is declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Schrader, a former Division-II running back and Missouri walk-on, was out of eligibility and was expected to pursue the professional game.
Schrader broke the Missouri single-season rushing yards record (1,627 yards) during the Tigers’ 14-3 win over Ohio State in Cotton Bowl last Friday in Arlington, Texas. He scored the touchdown that put the Tigers on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, sparking a near-flawless 15 minutes of football that led Missouri to a New Year’s Six Bowl win.
Love 🖤 #miz pic.twitter.com/LcChzR0iZZ
— Cody Schrader (@codyschrader_7) January 4, 2024
He was one of the central figures in Missouri reaching that point, too.
Schrader was a consensus All-American. He won the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the nation’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in the nation. He finished eighth place in Heisman Trophy voting.
All of that came after leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards by nearly 500 yards, totaling 125.2 yards per game. The St. Louis native scored 14 touchdowns in the Tigers’ 11-2 season, only failing to find the end zone in two games.
On nine occasions, the running back recorded more than 100 rushing yards. He finished two games with more than 200 yards, and put up 321 all-purpose yards against Tennessee on Nov. 11.
Schrader was the third Missouri player on Thursday alone to declare for the draft, following star cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine and defensive end Nyles Gaddy. The running back was the sixth Missouri player overall — but the first on offense — to announce their professional aspirations, with cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., defensive end Darius Robinson and safety JC Carlies each having announced.
The Tigers landed first-team All-Sun Belt running back Marcus Carroll (Georgia State) out of the transfer portal in December. The Tigers are set to return promising underclassmen Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones next season, while four-star prospect Kewan Lacy is signed to the Tigers’ Class of 2024.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football running back Cody Schrader declares for 2024 NFL Draft
