TALLAHASSEE — Tommy Castellanos’ football journey has taken him from his hometown of Waycross, Ga., to Orlando to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to Tallahassee. He is set to play at a third college and for a fourth head coach, even if he is reunited with Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — the head coach who recruited and signed him to UCF in 2022.
FSU’s season doesn’t hinge on just one aspect improving from a dreadful 2024 to 2025, which begins on Saturday as No. 8 Alabama visits Doak Campbell Stadium. But among the storylines that fans and media will be watching intensely is Castellanos’ speed and elusiveness, if he really is an ideal fit in Malzahn’s offense and if the coach can bring out the best version of the quarterback.
“I feel like I’m probably the best I’ve ever been,” Castellanos said. “Got a lot of experience. I think Gus Malzahn has put me in the best position to succeed.”
Castellanos arrives at FSU after two up-and-down seasons at Boston College. He improved his completion percentage to 61.5 percent in 2024 and helped the Eagles to a win at FSU last September. He also nearly pulled off an upset of No. 6 Missouri, tossing three touchdown passes but with two interceptions.
He cut down his interceptions from 2023, when he had 14, to just five in 2024. But he also committed seven fumbles in eight games. He had a pair of interceptions in a road loss at Virginia last October, and he was sacked four times at Virginia Tech. BC coach Bill O’Brien benched Castellanos in November.
“When he is on and things are going good, he is so dangerous and so competitive, and he doesn’t get the credit he’s due as a passer,” ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill said. “He’s actually a very good passer. It’s just the optics of it. You look at him and he’s this short, little guy. And so you’re kind of thinking, ‘Oh, well, he’s just a runner.’ He’s not. He can throw the football well.
“And that’s what makes him dangerous, too, because when the initial play breaks down, it’s never over. He has the ability to extend plays, navigate the pocket, avoid negative plays. Those things are all huge positives.”
There are reasons for optimism with Castellanos in a Malzahn offense but also major question marks. Is he accurate? Can he throw the ball downfield? And for Luginbill, can he navigate the emotions of success and failure as a quarterback?
“To me, another component to solid quarterback play is mental toughness and competitive temperament,” Luginbill said. “And I think he’s got a tremendous competitive temperament. What I haven’t seen from him is the ability to rebound from either a bad play, a bad series, a bad half and then wipe the slate clean and move on to the next play. …
“What I want to see him do is have a short memory, get past it, move on and play the next down. I think that’s been a struggle for him throughout his career.”
