Senior Film Review of UCF Quarterback Commitment Thomas Castellanos

Evaluating UCF quarterback recruit Thomas Castellanos.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Dec 14, 2021 5:50 PM EST

Playing the quarterback position in the year 2021 can mean many different things. Sometimes a signal caller is more of a traditional player; plays from the pocket. Other quarterbacks will move around to gain more time and let the football go. For UCF commitment Thomas Castellanos, he does both of those categories and adds one more.

Try and catch me if you can!

One of the most exciting prep players in the state of Georgia, Castellanos vastly improved his game from his junior campaign all the way through his senior season. More confidence, more accuracy, more explosiveness, and just more productivity.

Seeing him live was fantastic. Seeing his senior film was just plain fun.

Thomas Castellanos

Vitals: 5’11”, 195 pounds

Position: Quarterback

High School: Waycross (Ga.) Ware County

Recruiting: UCF won out over numerous schools that wanted his services, but the Knights were really out in front by themselves. It’s because he wanted to play quarterback, and he felt comfortable with the UCF coaching staff, Quarterback Coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator GJ Kinne in particular.

Some of the schools that were trying to flip him and play any one of running back, quarterback, wide receiver or defensive back would be Louisville, Clemson, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Frame

Sturdy lean upper body; powerful legs and still room to add a little bit of weight. UCF expects him to end up at 205-pounds, perhaps 210, per Castellanos.

Athleticism

Elite. This is the young man that plays centerfield in baseball or point guard in basketball. He is the engineer of the offense or defense, and does so at a critical position because of his natural quickness, strength, speed and change of direction.

Maybe the area that’s not discussed enough would be his second-level speed. Once Castellanos reaches the linebacker level he’s really good at bursting through the hole even when a defender has the angle. That’s all natural ability.

Arm Strength

Castellanos made some great throws as a junior. Those same types of throws happened during his senior season, but more frequently. More importantly, he also gained the strength to throw the ball even further and with accuracy.

One of the biggest weapons for Castellanos would be the ability to throw the football while moving laterally. He threw a great pass that went 50 yards in the air for a touchdown while running to his right.

That ability to move around in the pocket, buy time, and launch a deep ball that changes the scoreboard is special. It’s an aspect of his game that opposing defensive coordinators will have to take into account each time they play the Knights with Castellanos behind center.

Balance

A good sign is that several of the throws that Castellanos made down the field this season came with good balance. He did not rush into the throw like he did during his junior or sophomore seasons.

Patience

He needs to slow down in the pocket, at times, and just trust his eyes and keep the football high so he can release it as quickly as possible. Castellanos will occasionally go into periods where the football drops down near his waist while he’s still in the pocket. That needs to change, and part of that is likely due to impatience and being ready to tuck and run.

When he does trust his eyes, and his linemen, good things happen in the passing game.

Making Defenders Miss

Ever hear someone say something to the effect of, “He just made him look dumb with that move!” Castellanos did that quite often throughout his high school career. His stop-and-start move where he goes back-and-forth laterally is classic. It’s like something a player like Barry Sanders would do.

He’s also adept at making one very hard cut and moving just to the right or left of his original path and keeping his speed, all the while he’s moving past a defender that thought he would be tackling Castellanos.

Areas to Improve

Castellanos sometimes pulls the football down too soon and does not allow his receivers enough time to gain separation from the defensive backs. That fact was actually admitted by Castellanos during an interview on Monday, Dec. 13 that can be listened to here:

Another area that Castellanos sometimes needs to be careful with is staring down a receiver, especially when he intends to throw over the middle of the field. Safeties will eat that up at the college level. This is arguably the No. 1 area that young signal callers fail with even after being in college and sometimes the NFL, too.

Finally, when Castellanos does run with the football he needs to tuck it away like a running back far quicker than what he does now. This will be of the utmost importance with ultra-quick defensive ends and linebackers attempting to slap at the football as they move into his general area near the line of scrimmage.

Final Thoughts

Castellanos is an incredible athlete with tremendous upside. He just needs to go through the normal progression points of being a pocket quarterback to reach his ultimate goal, and in time that can take place. Once he begins down that path, there’s no stopping him. His Athleticism and natural running instincts will do the rest when he decides to extend a play and still pass or just take off and run.

Here’s a look at the senior film for Castellanos:

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