Montell Cozart (born August 11, 1995) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He attended Bishop Miege High School in Overland Park, Kansas, and played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and the Boise State Broncos. He played for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2018 to 2020.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | August 11, 1995 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Bishop Miege (Roeland Park, Kansas) |
| College: | Kansas (2013–2016) Boise State (2017) |
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Undrafted: | 2018 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life and college
editCozart earned first-team all-state honors after leading Bishop Miege High School to the Kansas Class 5A State Championship game in 2012. Cozart threw for 2,759 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior at Bishop Miege High School, where he was coached by Jon Holmes.[1]
Rated as a 3-star quarterback by Rivals.com, Cozart chose to attend the University of Kansas and join its football program over offers from Indiana, Kansas State, Minnesota, Northern Illinois and West Virginia.[2] At Kansas, Cozart suffered a season-ending injury four games into his junior year; the NCAA granted Cozart an extra year of eligibility due to his injury. Cozart saw the most action in his fourth year with the Jayhawks, completing 112 of 190 pass attempts for 1,075 yards with 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. On February 21, 2017, Cozart announced he was leaving Kansas to seek a graduate transfer and would be eligible during the 2017 season. Cozart announced on May 4, 2017, that he will join the Boise State Broncos football team.[3]
Professional career
editCalgary Stampeders
editMontell signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on August 14, 2018.[4] Cozart dressed for 21 games over his first two years in the league as a third string quarterback, winning the 106th Grey Cup as a rookie. His lone statistic over this time was a single pass completion for 11 yards. After signing a one-year extension for 2020,[5] the CFL season was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Cozart was not re-signed and became a free agent.
Birmingham Stallions
editOn April 22, 2022, he signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League.[6] After one week on the active roster while Alex McGough was injured, Cozart was transferred to the inactive roster on May 6, 2022.[7]
Houston Gamblers
editCozart was traded to the Houston Gamblers on December 31, 2022.[8] He re-signed with the Gamblers on September 30, 2023.[9] Following the season, Cozart was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition which caused a rapid weight loss and required rehabilitation.[10]
Cozart and all other Houston Gamblers players and coaches were all transferred to the Houston Roughnecks after it was announced that the Gamblers took on the identity of their XFL counterpart, the Roughnecks.[11] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Montell Cozart, Bishop Miege , Dual-Threat Quarterback". 247Sports. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Montell Cozart". Kansas Jayhawks. July 24, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ Scott Chasen (February 21, 2017). "KU football quarterback Montell Cozart to transfer". www.cjonline.com. The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ "Stampeders sign ex-Boise State QB Cozart - TSN.ca". TSN. August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Stampeders re-sign quarterback Montell Cozart | 3DownNation".
- ^ @USFLStallions (April 22, 2022). "Roster updates" (Tweet). Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStallions (May 6, 2022). "Transferred to inactive roster" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGamblers (December 31, 2022). "Transfer of playing rights" (Tweet). Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLGamblers (September 30, 2023). "Free Agent Signings" (Tweet). Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://www.kmbc.com/article/former-ku-quarterback-usfl-guillain-barre-kansas/45212429 [bare URL]
- ^ "United Football League Reveals Team Markets and Head Coaches for 2024 Season". www.xfl.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ "2024 UFL Team Rosters". TheUFL.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.