Costello breaks down final schools

K.J. Costello is gearing up for his unofficial visit to Stanford later this month and the 2016 quarterback said a decision could be coming after that trip.

The four-star prospect from Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic is basically down to Stanford and USC and he said at this point his commitment could go either way.

Costello, rated as the second-best pro-style quarterback and the No. 25 prospect in the 2016 class by Rivals.com, saw teammate Austin Maihen flip from Washington State to Stanford this past week.

Although that won't influence his decision, another recent Stanford commitment could play a factor.

"I'll be up there on January 23 and that's just the next step for me," Costello said.

"I'm really proud of Austin. That's a big pickup for them. He's a stud. That's not going to play into my decision but it's nice knowing a former teammate is headed up there. They just got (Trent) Irwin which is definitely an attraction to me for sure.

"Hopefully they can pop a few more guys late in this 2015 class and then start building up. As of right now I'm just looking forward to heading up there and spending some time with the guys. I haven't been able to do that at Stanford yet. That's kind of the next step."

USC is also seriously involved with Costello, rated as the fourth-best recruit in the state by Rivals.com. There has been some talk that the Trojans are waiting to see what five-star QB Shea Patterson does before moving on Costello but the Santa Margarita standout said that is completely and utterly false.

"SC would want me to commit right now," Costello said. "They've been trying to get me to commit. Everybody is saying this and that and it's definitely false.

"I was very close when I was up there on a visit but they're not going to pressure me to do it. That is not an issue really at all."

Costello has reached out to the new Michigan coaching staff and there's a chance he could visit Ann Arbor before a decision but nothing has been finalized yet.

In his junior season, the Santa Margarita quarterback threw for 3,123 yards with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.