Reports: Peter Costelli to no longer enroll early at Utah
It appears Utah will have to wait for its headliner of the 2021 recruiting class to be on campus.
According to reports, Peter Costelli, four-star quarterback out of Mission Viejo High School in California, will elect to play football his senior season at Mission Viejo rather than enroll early in time for spring football.
When the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced in July that all fall sports would be moving back to a starting date in either December 2020/January 2021, it meant that high school football seniors would have a very tough decision to make.
Among them was Costelli.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic completely switching things around in the sports world, Costelli was set to play his senior season this fall, graduate high school in December and enroll early at Utah in January.
"It was a tough decision for sure," Costelli told 247sports a few months ago. "My goal has always been to graduate early and I think it's the best move for me going forward. I think it will help me get better prepared for college being there for spring ball. I''ll get a heads start on learning the offense and the playbook. Just being around the other players on the team and getting used to the college environment are all things I think will help me down the road."
Then when the conference canceled the fall sports season on August 11, Costelli elected to stay in high school and play football as a senior, which makes sense considering it gives him a chance to play football rather than not playing.
"If the season is pushed back, that could change things for me," Costelli said. "My plan right now though is to be there and I plan to be ready to compete from day one. I'm not sure who the starter will be this season but I definitely play to compete and if I don't win the job, it is what it is and I'll wait for my turn. One of the hardest things about the decision is leaving Mission Viejo and not playing as a senior. We have a really good team coming back and I was really looking forward to seeing what we could do but like I said, this is the move I think that is best for me in the future so I had to do it."
But now that the Pac-12 has changed its course and is set to play this fall in November, and have a normal spring season, there was a chance that Costelli could elect to graduate early again and enroll at Utah in January.
Alas that's not the case as Costelli is choosing to stay with his team and lead Mission Viejo one more time, this time though as a senior.
Here's a complete breakdown by SI All-American director of recruiting John Garcia regarding what Costelli can do at the next level..
Prospect: Peter Costelli
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
Position: Quarterback
School: Mission Viejo High School
Committed to: Utah
Projected Position: Quarterback
Frame: Tightly-wound body with good definition and composition. Athletic-looking torso with fairly-wide shoulders, thighs and hips.
Athleticism: Very good all-around athlete. Sprinter who runs the 100-meter dash and relays in track and field. Clocked at a 4.65 40-yard dash time. Has quick feet with good balance and excellent knee bend in his drops and setup. Keeps both hands on the ball at chest-level in the pocket. Stirring-type of release/delivery at times with good arm strength. A constant run-threat to defenses. Takes advantage of empty rush lanes and runs with excellent build-up speed in the open field.
Instincts: Good pocket awareness and feel for rush. Can maneuver well to manipulate the pocket. Capable of creating when things break down. At his best when on the run, and shows good accuracy to second level and outside the numbers. Very good run instincts. Reads blocks well and shows good awareness of second-level defenders. Decent elusiveness, yet relies on sheer speed as a runner.
Polish: Good pocket mechanics, notably with lower-half and appears to have been well-coached. Currently plays in a multiple offense with various passing concepts, and works from under center, shotgun and pistol. Decent mental processing with some ability to work through progressions across the field, though needs to speed up decision-making.
Bottom Line: Costelli is an athletic quarterback with good size and outstanding play speed. He has good feet in the pocket and is a nightmare for defenses as a runner. Although he must continue to smooth over his delivery and increase his mental processing quickness after the snap, he has the potential to become a starting-caliber college quarterback. Costelli fits best in an offense that moves the pocket and allows him to attack the edges on rolls and sprints, while also using him on designed runs and zone-read concepts.
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