C. J. Montes

C. J. Montes

Kent State Golden Flashes
Position	Quarterback
Class	Redshirt Junior
Personal information
Born:	(2002-09-18) September 18, 2002 (age 22)
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career history
College	New Mexico (2021–2022) Fordham (2023–2024) Kent State (2025–present)
High school	Paraclete (Lancaster, California)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Patriot League (2023)
Stats at ESPN

C. J. Montes (born September 18, 2002) is an American football quarterback who plays for the Kent State Golden Flashes. He previously played for the New Mexico Lobos and the Fordham Rams.

Early life and high school

Montes grew up in Pasadena, California and initially attended La Salle College Preparatory.[1] After his freshman year he transferred to Long Beach Polytechnic High School.[2] Montes passed for 1,097 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 206 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore, but transferred after his first semester to John Muir High School.[3] He transferred again to Paraclete High School in Lancaster, California before the start of his junior year without having played at John Muir.[4] Montes passed for over 2,200 yards with 19 touchdown passes as a junior.[5] Montes's senior season was canceled due to COVID-19.[6]

College career

New Mexico

Montes played in three games during his true freshman season with the New Mexico Lobos while maintaining a redshirt.[6] He made one start for the Lobos, completing 3 of 19 pass attempts for 11 yards with two interceptions and taking four sacks in a 36–7 loss to Colorado State.[7] As a redshirt freshman, Montes played in four games and started the final two games of the 2022 season.[8] He finished the year with 174 yards and one interception on 27-for-51 passing and rushed for one touchdown.[9] Following the end of the season, Montes entered the NCAA transfer portal.[10]

Fordham

Montes ultimately transferred to Fordham.[11] He was named the Rams' starting quarterback prior to the start of his first season with the team. Montes completed 241 of 376 passes for 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with one interception and was named second-team All-Patriot League and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.[12]

In the third game of the 2024 season, Montes suffered a lower-body injured injury against Stony Brook that would sideline him for the remainder of the season.[13] On December 2, 2024, Montes announced that he was entering the transfer portal.[14]

Statistics

Season	Games			Passing								Rushing
	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	INT	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
New Mexico Lobos
2021	3	1	0–1	10	33	30.3	39	1.2	0	2	28.1	25	−10	−0.4	0
2022	4	2	0–2	27	51	52.9	174	3.4	0	1	77.7	22	4	0.2	1
Fordham Rams
2023	11	11	6–5	241	375	64.3	2,997	8.0	26	1	153.7	100	160	1.6	3
2024	3	3	0–3	34	66	51.5	333	5.0	1	0	98.9	38	−74	−1.9	1
Career	21	17	6–11	312	525	59.4	3,543	6.7	27	4	131.6	185	80	0.4	5

References

1. "Freshman C.J. Montes leads La Salle football to comeback win". Pasadena Star-News. September 2, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
2. "Notes: Quarterback C.J. Montes transferred to Long Beach Poly after starring at La Salle as a freshman". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
3. "Long Beach Poly quarterback C.J. Montes transfers to Muir". Pasadena Star-News. February 4, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
4. "Amir Bankhead, CJ Montes looking to make Paraclete football a contender again". Los Angeles Daily News. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
5. "Quarterback CJ Montes of Paraclete is bigger, stronger, better". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
6. Virgen, Steve (August 28, 2022). "UNM's Montes still growing through adversity". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
7. "Colorado State allows just 76 yards in win over New Mexico". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 16, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
8. Wright, Rick (November 23, 2022). "Lobo QB Montes gets last start of 2022 – and he's learned his lesson". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
9. Benson, Bradley (January 4, 2023). "Sports Desk: UNM perfect no more". KRQE.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
10. Wright, Rick (January 4, 2023). "UNM football: QB Montes enters portal". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
11. Wright, Rick (January 12, 2023). "Lobos get two linebacker commitments; QB Montes decides on school". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
12. "Former UNM QB CJ Montes lights it up at Fordham, is up for Walter Payton Award". Albuquerque Journal. December 20, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
13. "Fordham Football Defeated in Costly Homecoming Loss". The Fordham Ram. September 18, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
14. "CJ Montes 247 sports". 247sports.com. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.

External links

• New Mexico Lobos bio
• Fordham Rams bio