K.J. Costello is a Dual-Threat QB for Stanford. K.J.'s 2018 season ranks in the 90th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 450 plays — a elite rate for the QB.
A genuine rushing threat who stresses defenses horizontally. Extends plays with legs and forces extra gap assignments.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaidon Salter | Liberty | 2023 | 486 | 0.711 | 14.7 | 345.6 |
| Tanner Mordecai | SMU | 2021 | 510 | 0.630 | 14.0 | 321.5 |
| Stetson Bennett | Georgia | 2022 | 509 | 0.635 | 12.4 | 323.0 |
| Malik Cunningham | Louisville | 2021 | 502 | 0.681 | 14.7 | 341.6 |
| Blake Sims | Alabama | 2014 | 473 | 0.696 | 15.4 | 329.4 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | C/ATT | Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | Rush Yds | Rush TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsSan Diego State | W31-10 | 6.0 | 21/31 | 332 | 4 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 0.63 |
| 2 | vsUSC | W17-3 | 9.7 | 16/27 | 183 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.41 |
| 3 | vsUC Davis | W30-10 | — | 17/30 | 214 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
C/ATT 6/17 · Pass Yds 105 · Pass TD 0 · INT 0
| 2 |
| 2 |
| -12 |
| 0 |
| 0.31 |
| 4 | @Oregon | W38-31 | 7.3 | 19/26 | 327 | 3 | 0 | -19 | 0 | 0.78 |
| 5 | @Notre Dame | L17-38 | 20.7 | 15/27 | 174 | 1 | 1 | -28 | 0 | 0.20 |
| 6 | vsUtah | L21-40 | 16.8 | 25/40 | 379 | 1 | 2 | -30 | 0 | 0.32 |
| 8 | @Arizona State | W20-13 | 5.0 | 22/29 | 231 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0.54 |
| 9 | vsWashington State | L38-41 | 11.3 | 33/42 | 304 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0.41 |
| 10 | @Washington | L23-27 | 19.9 | 29/43 | 347 | 2 | 3 | -9 | 0 | 0.37 |
| 11 | vsOregon State | W48-17 | -16.0 | 23/33 | 342 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 0 | 0.92 |
| 13 | @UCLA | W49-42 | -0.4 | 23/37 | 344 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.64 |
| 14 | @California | W23-13 | 3.9 | 18/29 | 237 | 1 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0.29 |
| 1 | vsPittsburgh | W14-13 | 2.7 | 6/17 | 105 | 0 | 0 | -19 | 0 | -0.09 |
