Thoughts on Costello

[ShotgunDawg]

Wow!!! What a massive win for Leach. Just massive and it goes way beyond our record next year.

- First and foremost, this probably equals 1-2 more wins next year.

- Allows us to probably get Shrader's redshirt back, which could be huge.

- Gives our young QBs a "role model" from which to learn from. The guy is a Stanford grad for goodness sakes. I bet film study and comprehending the offense should be right up his ally.

- Gets Leach's offense working quicker at MSU, which could move up the time table on recruiting due to QBs and WRs getting to see something closer to the maximum Leach offense in year 1.

Just a huge win today. You may laugh, but, if everything clicks, you could see him get some Heisman buzz mid year going into that October gauntlet. His stats could be crazy good.

[MetEdDawg]

What are the chances we can now pull a transfer WR?

Getting Costello has got to give us some pull with some of these top tier WR transfers. Got to think 1 of them would like to come on board for a year in this offense with Costello at the helm.

[BeardoMSU]

Wow!!! What a massive win for Leach. Just massive and it goes way beyond our record next year.

- First and foremost, this probably equals 1-2 more wins next year.

- Allows us to probably get Shrader's redshirt back, which could be huge.

- Gives our young QBs a "role model" from which to learn from. The guy is a Stanford grad for goodness sakes. I bet film study and comprehending the offense should be right up his ally.

- Gets Leach's offense working quicker at MSU, which could move up the time table on recruiting due to QBs and WRs getting to see something closer to the maximum Leach offense in year 1.

Just a huge win today. You may laugh, but, if everything clicks, you could see him get some Heisman buzz mid year going into that October gauntlet. His stats could be crazy good.

Plus, given his twitter handle, at a minimum he's got good taste in television shows, lol.

[ShotgunDawg]

What are the chances we can now pull a transfer WR? .

You'd have to think exceptional

[ShotgunDawg]

Emerick is the Ring Master is Leach's circus. This guy is appointment Twitter

1224473399126155265

[TheLostDawg]

You're saying Fitzgerald wasn't a role model? I thought that he learned under Dak**

[MetEdDawg]

Emerick is the Ring Master is Leach's circus. This guy is appointment Twitter

1224473399126155265

Are we expecting something else to go down?

[ShotgunDawg]

Are we expecting something else to go down?

I guess so

[ShotgunDawg]

The Costello commitment seems like Stidham going to Auburn. I wonder who the better prospect is?

[BeardoMSU]

I guess so

Were we expecting something else big in the recruiting realm?

[Coursesuper]

Were we expecting something else big in the recruiting realm?

Seems to be in the cards after that tweet.

[tireddawg]

Are we expecting something else to go down?

Someone's gotta catch it

[Turfdawg67]

Were we expecting something else big in the recruiting realm?

Seems like a big time WR would be in play if Costello committed.

[DanDority]

Hope it turns out better than Tommy football! He was voted by teammates as a team captain...so theres that.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Team captain. I am going to need to hear that from Kylin Hill to believe that.

[ShotgunDawg]

Hope it turns out better than Tommy football! He was voted by teammates as a team captain...so theres that.

The two aren't similar.

Costello is proven and has experience. Just not a similar situation

[KB21]

Mike Leach has been a head coach for 18 years, and has had numerous record setters at QB through those years. KJ Costello is by far the best NFL prospects Mike Leach will have coached at this position.

[BeardoMSU]

Hope it turns out better than Tommy football! He was voted by teammates as a team captain...so theres that.

I had a buddy express the exact same apprehension.

You never can predict what will happen, but the major difference here is KJ was a multi-year starter and put up great stats, unlike Tommy. Not only that, but Joe's offense was so terrible, it would've probably made anyone at QB look like shit. Plus Joe kept starting Tommy and didn't let him get healthy. Who knows how good Tommy could've really been.

I see zero similarities in this situation outside of both being grad transfers.

[Cooterpoot]

What are the chances we can now pull a transfer WR?

Getting Costello has got to give us some pull with some of these top tier WR transfers. Got to think 1 of them would like to come on board for a year in this offense with Costello at the helm.

It's coming

[HailStateSZN19]

It's coming

Any specific names emerging yet or you just saying it’s definitely coming but waiting to see who else enters after Spring ball?

[Cooterpoot]

Any specific names emerging yet or you just saying it’s definitely coming but waiting to see who else enters after Spring ball?

After spring the portal will blow up. And we're looking. No name, but we're definitely looking.

[bulldawg28]

Hope it turns out better than Tommy football! He was voted by teammates as a team captain...so theres that.

Tommy was not voted by players. Moorehead made him a captain.

[Skydawg1]

Wow!!! What a massive win for Leach. Just massive and it goes way beyond our record next year.

- First and foremost, this probably equals 1-2 more wins next year.

- Allows us to probably get Shrader's redshirt back, which could be huge.

- Gives our young QBs a "role model" from which to learn from. The guy is a Stanford grad for goodness sakes. I bet film study and comprehending the offense should be right up his ally.

- Gets Leach's offense working quicker at MSU, which could move up the time table on recruiting due to QBs and WRs getting to see something closer to the maximum Leach offense in year 1.

Just a huge win today. You may laugh, but, if everything clicks, you could see him get some Heisman buzz mid year going into that October gauntlet. His stats could be crazy good.Hope does nothing but hang out with his coaches all day every day in the Athletic building, taking online classes...just like Joe Burrow did. #heisman #nextyearsLSU

[Todd4State]

You're saying Fitzgerald wasn't a role model? I thought that he learned under Dak**

It's awkward to sit with your role model at their girlfriends beauty pageant.

[Todd4State]

I had a buddy express the exact same apprehension.

You never can predict what will happen, but the major difference here is KJ was a multi-year starter and put up great stats, unlike Tommy. Not only that, but Joe's offense was so terrible, it would've probably made anyone at QB look like shit. Plus Joe kept starting Tommy and didn't let him get healthy. Who knows how good Tommy could've really been.

I see zero similarities in this situation outside of both being grad transfers.

MSU fans need to understand that just because something doesn't work out one time it doesn't mean you never do it again. Stevens would have been a lot better if he hadn't gotten hurt too. It is what it is.

Anytime we have a chance to get better by taking a transfer from the portal we should do it. I'd like to see us get at least 1-2 more receivers, a LT, a LB, and a CB if possible.

[Todd4State]

After spring the portal will blow up. And we're looking. No name, but we're definitely looking.

Stanford had a ton of guys in the portal. I know some have committed to other schools but that would be a logical place for MSU to look first.

[MetEdDawg]

MSU fans need to understand that just because something doesn't work out one time it doesn't mean you never do it again. Stevens would have been a lot better if he hadn't gotten hurt too. It is what it is.

Anytime we have a chance to get better by taking a transfer from the portal we should do it. I'd like to see us get at least 1-2 more receivers, a LT, a LB, and a CB if possible.

This. And honestly while they are both transfers, the comparison really ends there. Costello has been a multiple year P5 starter with over 6,000 yards passing. Former Top 50 recruit. Dude is a stud. Stevens, while talented, wasn't anywhere near this accomplished or proven in his career as Costello is.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

MSU fans need to understand that just because something doesn't work out one time it doesn't mean you never do it again. Stevens would have been a lot better if he hadn't gotten hurt too. It is what it is.

Anytime we have a chance to get better by taking a transfer from the portal we should do it. I'd like to see us get at least 1-2 more receivers, a LT, a LB, and a CB if possible.

We don't need a LT & I'm not sure we need a CB. WR & LB I agree.

[Turfdawg67]

MSU fans need to understand that just because something doesn't work out one time it doesn't mean you never do it again. Stevens possibly would have been a lot better if he hadn't gotten hurt too. It is what it is.

Anytime we have a chance to get better by taking a transfer from the portal we should do it. I'd like to see us get at least 1-2 more receivers, a LT, a LB, and a CB if possible.

FIFY... man, I love the bravado of the posters around here. Gotta try that out... and sources too.

[Todd4State]

We don't need a LT & I'm not sure we need a CB. WR & LB I agree.

I love Cross and he is going to be a great LT for us- and may even be a guy that declares after his junior year. But with him being a RS freshman it still makes me a little nervous right now. I'd like to have an older guy in the CB mix. I expect Tyler Williams and Emerson to start and they'll be fine. And then I thought Jarrian Jones did OK for a freshman as well. But a senior that can provide some quality depth would be nice.


FIFY... man, I love the bravado of the posters around here. Gotta try that out... and sources too.

Well, look at how Stevens played against ULL and USM before he got hurt. He was 9/10 when he got hurt and the offense was flowing very well. After that there was a noticeable change in his play. I think the injury really affected him and I think Joe was playing him hurt which should not have done.

[HailStateSZN19]

One guy I WISH would decide to be a grad transfer and would enter the portal is Marquez Stevenson from Houston. With Leach and Jason Washington?s TX connections, maybe he?d want to come here and play in an air raid in the SEC. He?s an absolute burner. Kinda like a Tyree Hill type player excerpt he?s 6?0? 190 lbs. He?s an electric playmaker and would be absolutely lethal in the slot in this system. That?s a dream get. Just look up his highlights on YouTube and see if you don?t agree. He?s a senior this year school wise but Junior eligibility wise and with King leaving Houston, maybe he?d consider looking to go elsewhere.

[Joebob]

Hard to believe just over a month ago we were all in the dumps over the future of our football program. ��

[Dogbone]

And then the Pirate sailed in ringing a cowbell saying, swing your sword!

[RezDog7]

We don't need a LT & I'm not sure we need a CB. WR & LB I agree.

With us being very close to the limit on scholly's I would have to assume there will be some attrition soon.

[Todd4State]

One guy I WISH would decide to be a grad transfer and would enter the portal is Marquez Stevenson from Houston. With Leach and Jason Washington?s TX connections, maybe he?d want to come here and play in an air raid in the SEC. He?s an absolute burner. Kinda like a Tyree Hill type player excerpt he?s 6?0? 190 lbs. He?s an electric playmaker and would be absolutely lethal in the slot in this system. That?s a dream get. Just look up his highlights on YouTube and see if you don?t agree. He?s a senior this year school wise but Junior eligibility wise and with King leaving Houston, maybe he?d consider looking to go elsewhere.

He would fit perfectly because he can play in the slot and we don't really have a burner that's an upperclassmen. He also returns kicks and would have been a true freshmen when Jason Washington was the ST coach there so I would imagine there is a prior relationship there and I do think that KR is a need for us. Even if it's a small need. Stevenson is from Shreveport and was recruited by Dan so he is probably somewhat familiar with MSU too.

[Todd4State]

With us being very close to the limit on scholly's I would have to assume there will be some attrition soon.

Oh there will be attrition.

[Dogbone]

You think we'll lose quite a few?

[HailStateSZN19]

He would fit perfectly because he can play in the slot and we don't really have a burner that's an upperclassmen. He also returns kicks and would have been a true freshmen when Jason Washington was the ST coach there so I would imagine there is a prior relationship there and I do think that KR is a need for us. Even if it's a small need. Stevenson is from Shreveport and was recruited by Dan so he is probably somewhat familiar with MSU too.

It’s considered tampering for anyone on a staff to even inquire someone about their interest level in becoming a grad transfer isn’t it? In other words, unless Stevenson himself just decides to test the waters, there’d be no hope right? I mean he’d be exactly what we need for our WR room. A slot guy who is an absolute burner who has tons of experience and has caught a lot of balls and made a ton of electric plays. Idk what his 40 is but it’s got to be sub 4.45. He was a Blitenkoff Watch list guy for a while in 2019. I need to stop talking about it or I’ll get excited and get it in my head that somehow someway he’d enter the portal and we could get him lol. The dude is a YAC monster which is what thrives in Leach’s system. Houston played WSU last year or the year before too. Interesting on the Jason Washington note that you pointed out too.

[Lord McBuckethead]

It's awkward to sit with your role model at their girlfriends beauty pageant.

Fitz lost a bunch of cred when he didn't shave his head into a mohawk. It wasn't just that, but it is indicative of the situation.

[Lord McBuckethead]

It’s considered tampering for anyone on a staff to even inquire someone about their interest level in becoming a grad transfer isn’t it? In other words, unless Stevenson himself just decides to test the waters, there’d be no hope right? I mean he’d be exactly what we need for our WR room. A slot guy who is an absolute burner who has tons of experience and has caught a lot of balls and made a ton of electric plays. Idk what his 40 is but it’s got to be sub 4.45. He was a Blitenkoff Watch list guy for a while in 2019. I need to stop talking about it or I’ll get excited and get it in my head that somehow someway he’d enter the portal and we could get him lol. The dude is a YAC monster which is what thrives in Leach’s system. Houston played WSU last year or the year before too. Interesting on the Jason Washington note that you pointed out too.

How about if a very large group of fans start getting in his ear on Twitter, just a question.

[HailStateSZN19]

How about if a very large group of fans start getting in his ear on Twitter, just a question.

Lol, if that’s allowed and not some violation. I know there’s some tampering rule about reaching out to players not in the portal. I wish Stevenson would just enter the portal to test the waters and us put the full court press on him. He’d be lethal in this offense. And it’s interesting the Jason Washington connection to him at Houston that Todd brought up plus Leach’s TX connections. If it weren’t illegal or a violation, I’d say get to yelling in his ear on Twitter lol. But idk all the rules about that kind of stuff honestly. Just some wishful thinking on my part for us to somehow get him.

[Todd4State]

It?s considered tampering for anyone on a staff to even inquire someone about their interest level in becoming a grad transfer isn?t it? In other words, unless Stevenson himself just decides to test the waters, there?d be no hope right? I mean he?d be exactly what we need for our WR room. A slot guy who is an absolute burner who has tons of experience and has caught a lot of balls and made a ton of electric plays. Idk what his 40 is but it?s got to be sub 4.45. He was a Blitenkoff Watch list guy for a while in 2019. I need to stop talking about it or I?ll get excited and get it in my head that somehow someway he?d enter the portal and we could get him lol. The dude is a YAC monster which is what thrives in Leach?s system. Houston played WSU last year or the year before too. Interesting on the Jason Washington note that you pointed out too.

I may be wrong about this but I believe the player is the one that has to enter the portal first for coaches to inquire about them. That said I'm not sure when Costello first contacted Leach because that was obviously when he was at Wazzu but I have no idea on the timeline of that. I think it's Ok for a player to contact another school on their own to gauge interest but I may be wrong about that. It would make sense to me for that to be OK because that can potentially influence whether someone decides to enter the portal or not.

With Stevenson I have no idea what he wants to do and he may very well enter on his own naturally. Houston is a pretty young team and 6-6 would be considered pretty good progress for them. Also Dana Holgerson has coached under Leach so if he does enter the portal we may get a good reference. If we tamper and he finds out about it I would imagine he would not be real happy about that. Stevenson going to a SEC school that runs the same offense that Houston does would seem to be a good fit for him as well on paper.

The other thing to remember is we don't really know what our options are at this point. So, while Stevenson is a really good fit on paper there could be other fits too- like someone from Washington State or wherever. It sounds like we're going to see what the spring brings.

[BhamDawg205]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_H1RIfPACQ

[Johnson85]

MSU fans need to understand that just because something doesn't work out one time it doesn't mean you never do it again. Stevens would have been a lot better if he hadn't gotten hurt too. It is what it is.

Anytime we have a chance to get better by taking a transfer from the portal we should do it. I'd like to see us get at least 1-2 more receivers, a LT, a LB, and a CB if possible.


Don't think that is anywhere close to being possible unless you are talking about guys transferring to walk-on (in which case they don't count against the 25, like Lashley?)

We have 9 players enrolled, plus 11 signed LOI's, plus Harvey, the Moorhead CB, and Costello. So by my count we have 2 spots left? And I'm guessing those are going to be held for WRs or LBs unless we just aren't happy with any of our options there after spring.

[DanDority]

Tommy was not voted by players. Moorehead made him a captain.

I can't link the story because I don't have a subscription to the LIAR but if you want, just google it. Plus ever game I saw on T.V. they mentioned, how he he got here and was elected by his teammates CAPTAIN!

[Prediction? Pain.]

Briefly letting my mind wander at work and happened upon a Dec. 2018 (https://247sports.com/college/stanford/Article/Assessing-Stanford-Cardinal-Football-KJ-Costellos-NFL-Draft-Prospects-126134892/) article from Stanford's 24/7 site on Costello's draft prospects. I found it interesting because they not only quote some draft analysts about Costello's pros and cons, but they also give some of his numbers from Pro Football Focus. Here are the goods:


Pro Football Focus rated KJ as the #11 quarterback this season. He spent most of the year in the top ten, but he played his two lowest-graded games of the season against UCLA and California and that was enough to push him out of the top ten. His 8.6 yards per attempt was tied for 10th, and he had an NFL QB Rating of 105.6, which was ranked 18th among quarterbacks. His 66.4% completion percentage was ranked 17th in the country.

The Draft Network's Benjamin Solak gave a detailed evaluation of Costello's play prior to the season. Among his strengths, Solak says that Costello's "Arm strength and size check NFL boxes, and he isn't statuesque -- though his mobility is just average. Willing to test man coverage down the field and puts a catchable ball in the air, though most improve ability to place it high to tilt advantage to larger pass-catchers. Flashes the ability to manipulate short zone defenders with eyes in his drops to uncover routes besides them. Can fire well-placed footballs to in- and out-breaking routes through tight windows and with traffic around him; can adjust arm angles as well, with equal ability to throw with speed and placement from over-the-top and sidearm releases." On the con side, Solak also said KJ was often "Unsettled in his pass drops; skittish and not ready to throw at all times. Has a poor pocket presence and will adjust to the slightest flash of color, often moving into more pressure?bad sense of space and bodies within the pocket. Will stare down his first read especially when it's a short/quick throw, which will tip off aggressive DBs making flat-footed reads. Generally under-throws his receivers down the field and must get a better sense for protecting the football via leverage -- this will hopefully grow as his harmony with his pass-catchers does."

David Igono gave an evaluation of Costello that included some of this season's work. He suggested that KJ had certainly addressed some of the issues Solak pointed out. Pro Football Focus graded Costello positively under pressure. KJ's QB Rating fell from 112 to 83 when under pressure, but that happens to all quarterbacks. That 83 was 11th-best in all of college football. Costello completed 52% of his passes under pressure (fifth-best) and averaged 9.2 yards per attempt. He threw five TD's against four interceptions. KJ also held up just fine against the blitz. He had 15 TD's and six interceptions, he completed 63.4% of his passes and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt against extra pass rushers.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Wow!!! What a massive win for Leach. Just massive and it goes way beyond our record next year.

- First and foremost, this probably equals 1-2 more wins next year.

- Allows us to probably get Shrader's redshirt back, which could be huge.

- Gives our young QBs a "role model" from which to learn from. The guy is a Stanford grad for goodness sakes. I bet film study and comprehending the offense should be right up his ally.

- Gets Leach's offense working quicker at MSU, which could move up the time table on recruiting due to QBs and WRs getting to see something closer to the maximum Leach offense in year 1.

Just a huge win today. You may laugh, but, if everything clicks, you could see him get some Heisman buzz mid year going into that October gauntlet. His stats could be crazy good.

His throwing motion is pretty long. Its like old school Pro I type. Carson Palmer is a good comparison IMO. Its good that he is big bc he is going to take a shot or two