FSU football navigating Tommy Castellanos' potential return for 2026 season

The Florida State Seminoles have relied on the NCAA Transfer Portal to find its starting quarterback for two consecutive seasons.

The Seminoles brought in former Boston College signal-caller Tommy Castellanos ahead of 2025. Castellanos has developed into a leader within the program, something that was desperately missing in Tallahassee last year.

The senior quarterback has provided plenty of dynamic plays through the air and on the ground. He's also dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies in the passing game.

It's important for Florida State to establish stability in the quarterback room, especially after losing three players to the portal (Tate Rodemaker, Luke Kromenhoek, AJ Duffy) over the last two seasons.

Right now, junior Jaylen King, redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn, and true freshman Kevin Sperry are the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, along with Castellanos. Florida State has four-star Jaden O'Neal pledged in its #Tribe26 class.

There's a path on the table for Castellanos to remain as FSU's starter going in 2026.

Florida State Working Through Castellanos' Return For Another Year

Nov 1, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) celebrates a touchdown during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Head coach Mike Norvell revealed that Florida State is exploring a waiver to attain another season of eligibility for Castellanos.

Listed as a true senior, Castellanos played in five games during his true freshman season at UCF under then-head coach Gus Malzahn. That included an appearance in the American Athletic Championship game, where the Knights fell to Tulane, 45-28.

Castellanos entered the game in the third quarter with starter John Rhys Plumlee battling through an injury. He completed 2/8 passes for seven yards while rushing seven times for -8 yards.

As of 2024, the NCAA ruled that conference championship games and postseason contests would no longer count against the four-game redshirt rule. That will likely be a big part of the Seminoles' argument.

"That's things that are all being worked through. Obviously, he played the one game his freshman year, which was in a championship game. I know all that is being evaluated," Norvell said on Monday. "The next year they changed the rule to where that's available."

"He did that in the case of a guy got hurt. As much as he is right now, where he's willing to be what a team needs, trying to fit that, he answered the call in a tough situation that, ultimately, at that time, made it challenging for the conversation that has to be had now, but the very next year the NCAA changed the rule," Norvell added. "So, I mean, we'll see where all that goes. But it's kind of his situation."

Bringing back Castellanos instead of banking on the portal once again would give Sperry time to develop. The true freshman has shown promising signs and is on pace to be ready to take over as a starter by his third year in the program.

Obviously, that would take a hefty financial commitment to Castellanos. In nine starts this season, Castellanos has completed 135/225 passes for 2,128 yards with 11 touchdowns to six interceptions. He's added 100 carries for 359 yards and six more scores.

Florida State returns to action against Virginia Tech on Saturday, November 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.

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