Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos wasn’t exactly quiet over the offseason. He called out Alabama and said that Nick Saban wasn’t there to protect them. Castellanos said that he didn’t see anyone on the Cirmson Tide capable of stopping him.
Apologies to him. Maybe he had a point.
Castellanos was masterful in a 31-17 upset victory against No. 8 Alabama, finishing with a dynamic 152 yards through the air and 78 on the ground. After a 2-10 season, the marriage of Castellanos with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is perfectly poised to put the Seminoles back on the map.
Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos regrets ending at Boston College: ‘If I had to do it again, I would stay’
Brad Crawford
One year ago, Castellanos was ironically key in leading an upset by Boston College over Florida State. However, he was benched by coach Bill O’Brien as he opted to go with a more traditional pocket passing quarterback, leaving Castellanos to enter the transfer portal. In a standout Boston College career, Castellanos posted more than 3,600 yards passing and 1,300 yards rushing.
Malzahn recruited Castellanos to UCF before he transferred to Boston College and was very familiar with his skillset. When he left the Knights to join Mike Norvell at Florida State, Castellanos became a priority for him. In their first great victory, it’s easy to see why.
Malzahn is known for his run game wizardry, but has not fielded a quarterback of Castellanos’ dynamic athleticism in a few years. Malzahn felt comfortable calling a variety of running schemes, from zone reads to gap schemes. Behind a revamped offensive line, Castellanos handled the physicality of an aggressive Alabama front and managed to break tackles and buy more yards.
Out of his 16 carries, five went for either first downs or a touchdown. However, even more impressive, 14 of his 16 carries eventually led to either a first down or touchdown. When Florida State ran Castellanos, they only punted once on that series. Castellanos was pivotal for getting the Seminoles into second-and-manageable situations to keep the chains moving and shorten the game. In total, Florida State ran the ball 49 times in 63 plays. And when Castellanos took his shots in the passing game, he connected on passes of 64 and 40 yards. It was damn near triple-option level changeups.
With him in the lineup, Malzahn managed to limit Alabama to only nine total drives. Florida State’s defense was able to take full advantage of the shortened game, especially by stifling Alabama’s highly-touted running game. This was the Florida State physicality that was promised under first-year defensive coordinator Tony White.
And keep in mind, the choice to take both Castellanos and Malzahn was a serious risk. Castellanos was rated the No. 395 player in the portal and No. 23 quarterback, behind players like Matthew Sluka and Air Noland. Many around the industry expected Malzahn to retire after a disappointing 4-8 season at UCF, if not get fired. There was no guarantee it would work.
Granted, Alabama has plenty of issues of their own. The Crimson Tide’s tackling was astonishingly frustrating, notably giving up a rushing touchdown to Gavin Sawchuk where he pushed his way through the defense to the end zone. Quarterback Ty Simpson struggled in his first start after three years of waiting. But still, it takes a mature time to rise to the occasion, and Castellanos set the tone.
After shocking Alabama to open the season, the schedule suddenly looks ravishing. There are only three other ranked opponents on the docket, including No. 10 Miami, No. 4 Clemson and rival No. 15 Florida. Pull another upset and there’s a serious path back to the ACC Championship Game. With a pivotal ACC over SEC win, the path to an at-large suddenly feels more manageable too. The vibes have shifted dramatically.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell came into 2025 on one of the hottest seats in the country after the miserable 2-10 campaign. But if Saturday was any indication, his gamble on Castellanos and Malzahn could change everything.
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