College football’s 10 most intriguing transfers to watch in 2020

In a transfer that shocked many, KJ Costello, who graduated from Stanford in three years decided he wants to be a part of the famed air-raid offense under its guru, The Pirate, Mike Leach.

Costello’s tape from 2018 was as good as it gets from a college quarterback. He showed he can make all the throws necessary for the next level. He had great arm strength, completed passes from different arm angles and went through his progressions before making his decision.

Costello earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors for the Cardinal that year, starting all 13 games and passed for 3,540 yards, which is the second-highest single-season total in team history and he completed 65 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and led the Pac-12 in both pass efficiency (155) and yards per attempt (8.57).

The junior struggled with injuries in 2019 and appeared in only five games, passing for 1,038 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Many also chalk up his bad season to his unwillingness to throw the deep ball at any time.

After the end of the year, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had listed Costello as the nation’s No. 7 draft-eligible quarterback but this didn’t change Costello’s decision at all to leave Palo Alto.

He joins a Mississippi State team that returns quarterback Garrett Shrader, who started four games as a freshman in 2019 and had 1,170 pass yards, 587 rush yards and 14 total touchdowns (eight pass, six rush).

Costello, if healthy, is expected to win the starting job.