Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Former Stanford Cardinal starting quarterback K.J. Costello is joining the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a graduate transfer.
Costello, a two-time captain at Stanford, announced his decision to transfer to the school Monday on Instagram.
"I remember dreaming about playing at Stanford since I was a little kid," Costello wrote. "The legacy and the tradition was something I always knew I wanted to be a part of. I feel so fortunate to have spent my last four years at the top institution in the world. I decided to attend Stanford because I felt it would drive me to become the best version of myself, it did just that.
"With that being said, I would like to announce that I will play my final year of college football at Mississippi State."
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Costello will join Mike Leach, who was announced as the Bulldogs' new head coach last month, at Mississippi State. Leach oversaw the nation's top passing offense in four of the last six seasons at Washington State.
Costello, who has one year of eligibility left, started 25 games over the past three seasons at Stanford. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2018, when he started all 13 games and recorded 3,540 passing yards, the second-highest total in team history for a single season.
Costello struggled with injuries last season, appearing in only five games. He passed for 1,038 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Costello will join a Mississippi State team that returns quarterback Garrett Shrader and veteran reserve Keytaon Thompson. Shrader started four games as a freshman in 2019, while Thompson appeared in 19 games across his first two seasons.
