Former Florida State QB Emerging As Option For College Football Playoff Contender

The Florida State Seminoles will be starting their fourth different quarterback in as many years with the 2026 season a week away.

At one point last year, the Seminoles had interest in bringing back Tommy Castellanos for another season. However, Castellanos struggled down the stretch, and his initial waiver was denied by the NCAA, sending him down the NFL route.

After going undrafted, Castellanos earned rookie minicamp opportunities with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, but never officially signed a professional deal.

In recent weeks, an eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA provided Castellanos with an opportunity to play one final year of college football.

That came to fruition on Friday in the form of a temporary injunction. Following the win in court, Castellanos officially entered the transfer portal and he's already reportedly trending towards a College Football Playoff contender.

Former FSU QB Tommy Castellanos "Expected" To End Up At Texas Tech

It's a little late to add a player, especially a quarterback. Castellanos previously shared that he's willing to come in as an athlete at his next stop, if necessary. That doesn't make learning a playbook or building chemistry any easier.

Regardless, Castellanos is drawing significant interest from at least one program.

According to The Athletic's Stewart Mandell, Texas Tech appears to be the primary option in the early stages of Castellanos' search, which will need to move quickly with the season right around the corner.

"He’s [Castellanos] expected to land at Texas Tech, according to a source involved in those discussions," Mandell wrote.

If Castellanos joins forces with the Red Raiders, he would have a chance to slot in as QB2 behind junior Will Hammond. Texas Tech made a splash in the portal, securing Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby. However, Sorsby was ruled ineligible for gambling, including placing bets on his own team.

Sorsby departed from Texas Tech and made a push for the supplemental draft. In response, the NFL decided not to hold the event this year. Sorsby's options are limited.

Meanwhile, Hammond has made three career starts and tore his ACL last season. He's fully recovered, but there are still questions to answer.

At the very least, Castellanos provides depth as Texas Tech pushes for a second straight College Football Playoff appearance. The Red Raiders went 12-2 last season but were shut out by Oregon in the Orange Bowl.

Castellanos spent one season at Florida State, producing mixed results. He completed 180/309 passes for 2,760 yards with 15 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, while adding 137 carries for 557 yards and 9 more scores.

The dual-threat signal-caller established new program records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season. He also completed less than 60% of his passes in 6 games.

Over the final four games of the year, Castellanos completed 68/127 passes (53.5%) for 882 yards with 5 touchdowns to 4 interceptions, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. Teams challenged Castellanos to beat them with his arm, and he wasn't able to consistently deliver.

Prior to his time at Florida State, Castellanos spent two seasons at Boston College. He initially signed with UCF out of high school.

Castellanos had his most productive campaign in 2023. He became the only player in Boston College program history to pass for 2,000+ yards and rush for 1,000+ yards in a single season.

During his college career, Castellanos has appeared in 38 games and made 32 starts. He's accumulated 6,449 passing yards with 48 touchdowns to 28 interceptions, while accumulating 1,984 rushing yards and 24 rushing scores.

Florida State fans will always remember Castellanos for spearheading the upset over Alabama, but the Seminoles have moved on to Ashton Daniels.

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