Former Stanford QB KJ Costello Announces Decision to Join Mike Leach at Mississippi State

Mike Leach needs an expert signal caller to effectively run his Air Raid offense, and he picked up a former Pac-12 foe to help him implement his vision at Mississippi State.

Former Stanford quarterback KJ Costello, who is getting some legitimate buzz as a pro quarterback prospect, announced his intention to leave Stanford as a graduate transfer and play under Leach in Starkville.

The Bulldogs landed former Penn State quarterback Tommy Stevens via transfer last year, but he failed to impress. With Leach, who has sent three straight Washington State quarterbacks to the NFL, now the head coach at Mississippi State, Costello seemed to take a liking to the Air Raid vision the program has in place.

The 6-foot-5, 222-pound Costello managed to throw for 29 touchdowns and 11 picks under David Shaw in 2018, but only managed six touchdowns in a season limited by injury last year. With former top recruit Davis Mills the new man in Palo Alto, Costello went elsewhere to continue his college football career.

Costello was one of the more hyped members of the 2020 quarterback class before injuries forced him to come back to college for one more year, and Leach can help him make some money in 2020.