Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos is happy to tuck the ball and run with it.

“That’s what makes him dangerous, too, because when the initial play breaks down, it’s never over,” ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill told the Orlando Sentinel in August. “He has the ability to extend plays, navigate the pocket, avoid negative plays. Those things are all huge positives.”

Now the No. 3 Hurricanes will have to contain him when they face the No. 18 Seminoles (3-1, 0-1 ACC) at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night.

“We have to do a great job of containing the quarterback, caging the quarterback, having a guy underneath making sure we have eyes on him,” Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “It always adds a different element to what you’re doing when you have to defend that quarterback run.”

Castellanos, who transferred from Boston College, has performed well through his first four games at FSU. He led the Seminoles to an upset win over Alabama in Week 1 and then helped lead the offense to a pair of blowout wins against overmatched opponents.

Last week, Castellanos threw two interceptions but threw a touchdown and ran for another as Virginia upset Florida State.

Through his first four games, Castellanos has 848 passing yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. However, he has also helped the offense with his legs. The senior quarterback has run for 217 yards and four touchdowns.

Running the ball is nothing new for Castellanos. The Hurricanes will have to keep the dual-threat quarterback in check on Saturday. The last time Miami faced Castellanos, when he was with the Eagles in 2023, Castellanos had 151 passing yards and 130 rushing yards. He accounted for two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions in a 45-20 Miami win. Castellanos ran for 1,113 yards that season.

“He’s really good at everything that he does,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

“Really good football player, makes a lot of things happen. Everybody has to do their job really well,” Cristobal added.

The Hurricanes have turned to a depth player to help them simulate fast quarterbacks. Wide receiver Kolby Luna, who has been part of the practice squad the past year, has lined up as a quarterback in practice to get Miami’s defenders accustomed to speedy signal-callers.

“In practice, we’ve got receivers playing quarterback and running around, so we’re prepared for it,” defensive end Akheem Mesidor said. “We practice against it every week … because every single quarterback, besides Notre Dame’s quarterback, has been a running quarterback.”

Miami has done well against dual-threat quarterbacks so far this year. After rushing for more than 100 yards in his first two games of the season, USF quarterback Byrum Brown managed only 2 rushing yards against Miami (which includes negative yards on sacks). Florida’s promising quarterback, DJ Lagway, accrued -8 rushing yards. So the Hurricanes know how to handle a potentially explosive rusher like Castellanos.

“The goal is to keep him inside that pocket, squeeze the pocket, keep him in there, and to limit his rush lanes or his capability of getting outside the pocket,” Mesidor said. “It’s going to be difficult, but it’s something we must do.”

 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/02/hurricanes-defense-castellanos/