K. J. Carta-Samuels

Kyle James Carta-Samuels (born July 12, 1995) is an American former football quarterback. He played college football at Washington and Colorado State. He also played for the Dresden Monarchs of the German Football League (GFL).

Early life Carta-Samuels was born in Saratoga, California, and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. As a junior, he completed 70-of-129 passes for 1,230 yards and 12 scores while rushing for 632 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led the team to an 11–2 record, making the championship of the playoffs. As a senior, he brought them to 8–4 and to the semifinals in the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs. Carta-Samuels was named All-West Catholic Athletic League on their first-team roster following the season, and was invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was a four-star recruit and was the number 23 quarterback prospect in the country according to Scout.com.

College career University of Washington Carta-Samuels announced his commitment to University of Washington in January 2014 after initially committing to Vanderbilt. He spent his freshman year as a redshirt, and did not see any playing time. He was named the team's 2014 scout squad MVP. He lost a training camp battle for the starting quarterback position, but made his college debut against Boise State in 2015. He played in a total of eight games in 2015, completing 10-of-24 passes for 124 yards. He announced intentions to transfer in December 2017.

Colorado State University Though he initially transferred to UCLA, Carta-Samuels changed to Colorado State University (CSU) in March 2018. He beat out Justice McCoy and Colin Hill in training camp to earn the CSU starting quarterback position. In the season opener against Hawaii, Carta-Samuels passed for 537 yards and five touchdowns in the loss. The 537 passing yards set the all-time school record, as no other player had even thrown for 500 yards previously. The CFL cancelled its 2020 season, and Carta-Samuels was released.

Dresden Monarchs In April 2021, Carta-Samuels was signed by the Dresden Monarchs of the German Football League (GFL). He led the team to their first ever league championship, being named German Bowl XLII MVP in a 28–19 victory over the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns.

Career statistics GFL Season Team Games Passing Rushing 2021 Dresden 13 13 12–1 284 431 65.9 4,038 9.4 54 8 182.2 35 –83 –2.4 1Career 13 13 12–1 284 431 65.9 4,038 9.4 54 8 182.2 35 –83 –2.4 1 College

Personal life His brother Austyn Carta-Samuels played quarterback for Vanderbilt and Wyoming. In the 2022 German Football League Austyn replaced his brother as the Dresden Monarchs starting Quarterback, but got injured in the first match of the season and was subsequently replaced. His father, James Samuels, played at Utah State, as did his uncle. His sister Gabby played volleyball for Colorado.