FSU football QB Tommy Castellanos addresses potential return for 2026 season

Florida State has a lot of questions to answer about the future of the program over the next couple of weeks. From the outside looking in, it appears head coach Mike Norvell will remain in his position in Tallahassee if the Seminoles make a bowl game.

Let's say Norvell comes back for another year. What's next for Florida State? Probably, figuring out its quarterback situation.

For two consecutive years, the Seminoles have gone to the NCAA Transfer Portal to find their starter. Florida State's gamble on DJ Uiagalelei was a massive failure, while the acquisition of Tommy Castellanos has led to plenty of big plays, but also inconsistent moments in the passing game.

Depending on how things work out, there's a chance Castellanos could return for another year. He's not ruling out any possibilities.

FSU QB Tommy Castellanos 'Living In The Moment'

Following Florida State's win against Virginia Tech, Castellanos spoke with the media. He made it clear he wasn't happy with his performance, believing he missed as many as six potential touchdown passes.

Before the game, Castellanos was honored as a member of the Seminoles' 2025 senior class. He walked across Bobby Bowden Field to cheers from fans while sharing a moment with his family shortly before putting up three total touchdowns in FSU's fifth victory of the season.

Castellanos was asked if he believed the contest against the Hokies would be his final appearance in Doak Campbell Stadium. He's honestly not sure.

"I don’t know the answer to that question. I'm just living in the moment, man," Castellanos said on Saturday night. "I truly believe and I trust in whatever God got planned for me in my life, and I'm at peace with it. I trust God and his plan and whatever he got planned for me."

Living in the moment is all Castellanos can do with two games remaining in the regular season. Florida State needs at least one victory to qualify for the postseason.

With that being said, there's a real chance he earns another year of eligibility at the college level. Castellanos is listed as a true senior, but he only played in five games during his true freshman season at UCF in 2022. One of those appearances was in the AAC Championship Game.

Since then, the NCAA has ruled that conference championships, bowl games, and College Football Playoff games don't count against the redshirt rule. There's a clear case for Castellanos if he wants one final run in garnet and gold.

That would probably be the best-case scenario for the present and future of the quarterback room at Florida State. The Seminoles appear to have a capable young prospect in Kevin Sperry. It might be harder to keep Sperry patient if the coaching staff were to bring in another transfer over him rather than the veteran already on the roster.

In that event, the goal shifts to having Sperry ready to lead the offense by his third year in the program in 2027.

In ten starts this season, Castellanos has completed 147/249 passes for 2,317 yards with 12 touchdowns to six interceptions. He's added 107 rushes for 404 yards and eight more scores.

Florida State returns to action against NC State on Friday, November 21. The contest will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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