Crist attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California.

[2] Sources: After not seeing any game action as a freshman in 2008, he completed 10 of 20 passes for 130 yards with a touchdown and interception as backup to Jimmy Clausen during his sophomore season in 2009.

At halftime of the 2011 season opener against the University of South Florida, Brian Kelly benched the ineffective Crist in favor of Tommy Rees; the Fighting Irish went on to lose the game, and afterwards Kelly named Rees the new starting quarterback and named Crist the backup.

Following a disappointing start to the campaign which had taken the Jayhawks out of bowl contention, Crist had increasingly lost playing time to accommodate redshirt freshman Michael Cummings.

Kansas' 2012 football season ended with a game at West Virginia in which Crist played only a few snaps.

[7] Crist played in the January 2013 edition of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, and was named the game MVP.