COLUMBIA, Mo. — If you know anything about Cody Schrader, it should be this… you will not outwork him. Period.
That work started at Lutheran South High School where he ran for more than 6,500 yards and scored 99 touchdowns.
But the 5-foot-9 running back was overlooked by the big programs. So he found himself at Division II Truman State, where he continued to outwork everyone, always with something to prove.
“I’ve had that (something to prove mindset) since I was a little kid. No matter what I did on the football field, I’ve always been doubted. So that ‘something to prove’ has always been my internal motivation for myself," Schrader said.
At Truman State, all Schrader did was become one of the most prolific players in Great Lakes Valley Conference history. He ran for 39 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards in just 29 games as a Bulldog.
“Out of high school when I ended up going to Truman State I thought I’d play four or five years there, graduate with a degree there and then move on to real life. Once the transfer portal happened, I started to learn more about that," Schrader said.
By now, Schrader was too good to ignore, so with two years of eligibility left, his journey took him to the University of Missouri as a transfer. The home-state kid’s dream school.
“This (Mizzou) is the place I always wanted to end up. Never got that opportunity out of high school. So it’s kind of cool to see how full circle my journey went. I think I was always supposed to end up here," Schrader said.
At this point, Schrader’s story was already nice. But it just kept getting better.
He was put on scholarship last September, played in every single game of his senior season and scored nine touchdowns, the most on the team.
Now, in his last year of eligibility, he’s a graduate student and captain. And he still has something to prove to those who doubt him and his team.
“I want to leave everything out here. I don’t really care about what happens in the future. The future will take care of itself. I want to give everything to this team. I want to win. I want to change the culture here. That was always my mindset when I first got here. I wanted to be something that people would always remember, not just myself, but as a team, and I think that’s something I think the whole team wants to chase this year," Schrader said.
Schrader hopes others see his unique path and realize they can do it too.
“I want people to look at it like, anything you set your mind to you can be successful," Schrader said. “I think a lot of people need to start looking at Mizzou as a place for an opportunity. I think that’s what’s starting to be shown. They gave me an opportunity, they gave guys like Ben Strappmann and so many other walk-ons opportunities, that it just shows how great the organization is at Mizzou and I think kids need to really take the opportunity to come here if they want to play big-time football and have an awesome opportunity.”