University of Utah freshman quarterback Peter Costelli, the crown jewel of the Utes’ 2021 recruiting class, has entered the NCAA transfer portal, a source with access to the national database confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune.
On Tuesday, 247sports.com was first to report Costelli’s portal entrance.
Costelli opting to transfer comes as no surprise. Cam Rising, who will be a fifth-year junior next fall, is entrenched as the starter. Ja’Quinden Jackson will be a third-year sophomore next fall, and Utah’s 2022 recruiting class includes two scholarship quarterbacks, Nate Johnson and Brandon Rose.
On Aug. 30, three days before Utah opened the season vs. Weber State, Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham said he would like to redshirt Costelli. A redshirt meant Costelli could still play in up to four games and preserve the year of eligibility, but he saw no action.
Costelli dressed in a handful of games, but as the fourth quarterback available behind Rising, Jackson, and second-year walk-on freshman Bryson Barnes.
Thanks to a one-year NCAA waiver, schools can still sign up to the normally-prescribed 25 new players in this recruiting cycle, while gaining additional space for each player who transfers out, with a limit of seven spaces.
With Costelli leaving, Utah should unofficially have room to sign 26 new players, a number that can still grow depending on how many more Utes opt to hit the transfer portal.
