Bulldogs in the NFL: Former Mississippi State QB KJ Costello Signing Deal With Chargers
Former Mississippi State and Stanford quarterback KJ Costello is signing a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, as he personally announced via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
Costello has clearly made an impression upon the people in Los Angeles after he originally went undrafted and unsigned, invited back in May to participate in rookie minicamp with the Chargers.
Despite the doubt that has surrounded him after the up and down 2020 season, there should be more appreciation for just how high Costello's ceiling really is.
Costello was a two-time team captain with the Stanford Cardinal and recorded his most productive season as a sophomore in 2018, guiding his team to a 9-4 overall record and a bowl game win.
Over 13 starts that year, Costello passed for 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns for a 155.0 efficiency rating -- the best in the conference.
Regardless of the way some may view how 2020 went for Costello, there's no denying how impressive his SEC debut was as Costello set a single-game conference record by passing for 623 yards against the defending national champion LSU Tigers.
Costello is confident in what he brings to the table at the next level, telling us earlier this offseason that he's battling the perception of what happened and that he's looking forward to "surprising folks" along the way as his journey continues.
But one of his former high school coaches, Harry Welch, puts it better than perhaps anyone else has.
“I think most people will see a guy who is extremely intelligent and wants to play football, who has the physical attributes and a great desire to excel at the next level," Welch told me ahead of the draft. "I thought he was an outstanding young man, and I think yet, he’s still an unpolished diamond — especially where the NFL is concerned.”
It will be interesting to watch how his career continues to progress at the NFL level, but it seems things are headed in a very positive direction.
