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K. J. Costello

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K. J. Costello
refer to caption
Costello with the Stanford Cardinal in 2018
Personal information
Born: (1997-06-07) June 7, 1997 (age 27)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Santa Margarita Catholic
(Rancho Santa Margarita, California)
College:
Position:Quarterback
Undrafted:2021
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Kevin Richard "K. J." Costello (born June 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He previously played for the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints.

Early years

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Costello attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. During his high school football career, he passed for a school record 8,222 yards, surpassing a record previously held by Carson Palmer[1] and 62 passing touchdowns.[2] Rated as one of the top quarterback recruits in his class, Costello committed to Stanford University to play college football.[3][4]

College career

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Costello redshirted his first year at Stanford in 2016. He entered 2017 as a backup to Keller Chryst, but made his first career start against UCLA after Chryst was injured.[5][6] Costello returned as the backup after the game; however, he took over as the starter prior to the eighth game of the season.[7][8] He remained the starter throughout the rest of the season and finished with 1,573 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and took the Cardinal to the Pac-12 Championship game.

KJ Costello started 35 games in College football. He holds the SEC Single-Game passing record with 623 yards against the defending national champions, LSU Tigers. He passed Andrew Luck & John Elway for all-time on the list for most passing yards in a single season at Stanford with 3540 yards. [9]

On December 18, 2019, Costello entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.[10] On February 3, 2020, Costello announced he would be grad transferring to Mississippi State.[11]

Costello made his first start for Mississippi State on September 26, 2020, where he broke the SEC record for passing yards in a single game with 623 yards in a 44–34 victory over the defending national champion, LSU.[12]

Statistics

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Season Team GP Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2017 Stanford 11 124 211 58.8 1,573 7.5 14 4 139.5 28 92 3.3 3
2018 Stanford 13 269 413 65.1 3,540 8.6 29 11 155.0 42 -20 -0.5 0
2019 Stanford 5 102 167 61.1 1,038 6.2 6 3 121.6 18 24 1.3 0
2020 Mississippi State 4 130 196 66.3 1,267 6.5 6 10 120.5 22 -65 -3.0 0
Career 33 625 987 63.3 7,418 7.5 55 28 139.2 110 31 0.3 3

Professional career

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Los Angeles Chargers

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On August 1, 2021, Costello signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after going undrafted in the 2021 NFL draft.[13] He was waived on August 17.[14]

Philadelphia Stars

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Costello signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League on May 27, 2022.[15]

New Orleans Saints

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On August 10, 2022, Costello signed with the New Orleans Saints.[16] He was waived on August 21, 2022.

Philadelphia Stars (second stint)

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On February 17, 2023, Costello re-signed with the Philadelphia Stars.[17] He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 19, 2023.[18] The Stars folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[19]

Career statistics

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Spring Football statistics
Year Team League Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2022 PHI USFL 2 0 0-0 4 10 40.0 69 6.9 0 0 64.2 5 -15 -3.0 0

References

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  1. ^ "10 things to know about Mississippi State QB KJ Costello". Saturday Down South. September 10, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. ^ FitzGerald, Tom (September 28, 2017). "Stanford's K.J. Costello burst onto scene as Kevin Hogan did in 2012". SFGate. Hearst Communications. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  3. ^ McKinney, Erik (March 26, 2015). "K.J. Costello picks Stanford". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. ^ Johnson, Chris (March 26, 2015). "Four-star QB K.J. Costello commits to Stanford over Michigan, USC". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Taylor, John (September 30, 2017). "With Keller Chryst injured, K.J. Costello to make first career start at QB for Stanford". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (September 25, 2017). "Pac-12 rewind: Stanford turns to K.J. Costello at QB after Chryst injury, wins big". The Arizona Republic. Gannett. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (November 3, 2017). "Stanford to start K.J. Costello over Keller Chryst at QB". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "No. 21 Stanford to start K.J. Costello at quarterback". USA Today. Gannett. Associated Press. November 2, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "K.J. Costello 2017 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Rob (December 18, 2019). "Stanford QB K.J. Costello Reportedly Enters Transfer Portal". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (February 3, 2020). "Ex-Stanford QB Costello transferring to Miss. St". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  12. ^ Scarborough, Alex (September 26, 2020). "K.J. Costello throws for SEC-record 623 yards as Mississippi State Bulldogs upset LSU Tigers". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Quarterback KJ Costello". Chargers.com. August 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Announce Roster Moves". Chargers.com. August 17, 2021.
  15. ^ @USFLStars (May 27, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved June 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Saints sign free agent QB K.J. Costello with Jameis Winston on the mend". USAToday.com. August 10, 2022.
  17. ^ @USFLStars (February 17, 2023). "Free Agent Signings" (Tweet). Retrieved February 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ @USFLStars (March 19, 2023). "Transferred to Inactive List" (Tweet). Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
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