As D-I offers continue to pour in, QB K.J. Costello focused on improving
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- The summer has been a busy one for Santa Margarita quarterback K.J. Costello.
While the 2015 quarterback class is working on cementing itself as one of the greatest classes to come out of the state of California, the 2016 signal caller is trying to cement himself as one of the top quarterbacks in his class.
To get things started, Costello was one of the top performers at the Air Strike Dana Hills passing tournament in late May.
Last month, he took his show on the road making visits to nine colleges in 11 days. It was a trip that included stops at Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida, and Florida State before concluding his trip at the IMG passing tournament in Bradenton, Florida where he led his 7-on-7 team to a third place finish.
"It wore me out," Costello joked about the trip. "It was awesome."
Visiting SEC country, for Costello, was a blast.
"It's just a whole 'nother level," Costello said. "Alabama just blew my mind. Tennessee was was incredible ... unless you go there, you don't really get that feel but the set up, the facilities, everything was just unbelievable."
Costello remains undecided on which school he'll attend but has reached double digits in offers. Closer to home he holds offers from Oregon State, Cal, and Boise State.
He has a few more trips to take before the summer ends and the 2014 season begins which he views as an important one for him.
"My buddies, my best friends -- I feel like we have a lot to prove this year," he said. "The whole recruiting thing is awesome for me but I never really want that to get in the way of my teammates. For me, I still feel like I got a long way to grow and not anywhere near my top potential."
Said Santa Margarita head coach Rick Curtis: "K.J. is not only a quarterback, he's an ambassador for our program. When he talks about what's going to happen, he's always positive with the players. He steps forward. He's a real leader for our team. He's 6-foot-4, people look at him and they look for his leadership and he provides that."
Serra RB Malik Roberson eager to return to 2012 form.
Santa Margarita is undergoing a transition after the retirement of legendary head coach Harry Welch and the hiring of Curtis to lead the program.
Welch was a taskmaster who Costello says really challenged his mental approach to the game as a sophomore and first-year starter. Those lessons will stay with him.
In Curtis he has a coach who's a "totally different dude."
"I absolutely love him," Costello said of his new head coach. "He doesn't put as much pressure on me but is there to be in my ear when I do something wrong."
One thing Welch and Curtis have in common is they both look to Costello to lead the Eagles offense. With some changes made to the offensive system, the Eagles hope to improve on a 4-6 campaign from a season ago with Costello having a year under his belt and and his favorite target, Kyle Sweet, back for his senior year.
