GROVE CITY — His body's not big, his numbers aren't great, he's never started for a full season and he's never played in the same offensive system for more than a year.

But Butler senior quarterback Zach Rader is getting a crack at college football.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Rader has signed on with Grove City College, where he will major in business management. The Wolverines have interest in him as a baseball player, too.

“I'm going to stick with football for the time being,” Rader said. “It's my first choice and trying to play two sports as a college freshman might be too much.”

An outfielder, Rader hit .500 for Butler's freshman team three years ago and led the junior varsity team in hitting as a sophomore. He later dealt with a broken radius in his throwing arm that required surgery.

A former basketball player as well, Rader gave up that sport to spend more time in the weight room this winter. He wants to bulk up to 185 or 190 pounds by next fall.

Rader shared the quarterback position with Jordan Lumley as a junior at Butler and led the Golden Tornado with 193 yards rushing. He completed 14 of 33 passes for 137 yards that year.

This past season, Rader split time with sophomore Tom Jendesky and completed 24 of 66 passes for 337 yards, a touchdown and six interceptions. He rushed for 165 yards and two scores.

“He didn't start every game for us, but that kid means a great deal to me,” Butler coach Clyde Conti said. “I wish I could have coached him for another season.

“He has leadership skills, great preparation and is a tremendous all-around person. That's what Zach brings to the table.”

Conti described Rader as “a teriffic kid who had his heart set on playing (at Grove City). He'll be a great teammate, loyal to his coaches, and he'll do everything he can to get on the field.”

Rader says he has work left to do on the l field.

“It was rough,” Rader said of his high school football career. “I'm a very competitive person and I try to be the best at everything I do.

“Each year at Butler, we had a new coach, a new offense ... I felt like I could never get myself going.”

He will find a more stable situation at Grove City, where Chris Smith has been head coach for 27 years.

“We're excited to get this kid,” Smith said. “He's a quality young man and a great student. He'll get his shot at quarterback.

“What's nice about Zach is he's a great athlete. He may wind up getting on the field as a slot receiver, a corner or safety, too.”

Grove City does not redshirt any freshmen as “all of our players graduate within four years,” Smith said.

Clayton Hall, a 5-11 sophomore with the Wolverines last season, was recruited as a quarterback out of Ohio, but saw action as a slot receiver early in his college career. Hall completed 33 of 50 passes in three games behind center for the Wolverines this past fall.

“Zach reminds me a lot of him,” Smith said.

Grove City entered this recruiting season with only two quarterbacks — junior starter Brian Pell and senior Mike McDonald — on the roster for next year.

The Wolverines were 3-7 last year, winning three of their last four games.

“Zach is the first quarterback we've recruited this year and I'd like to get three or four more,” Smith said.

“We'll see how the final recruiting tree shakes out. Once we see who we got and didn't get, we'll see where Zach fits in.”

Rader's football goals are modest ones — but important to him.

“I want to give 100 percent of what I have, all of the time,” he said. “I want to be respected up there and be counted on as a guy who can help the team win games.”