First Look at UCF Football Commitment Thomas Castellanos
To operate UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn’s offense, he needs a quarterback that can pass and run. That’s why the commitment of Thomas Castellanos is such an important part of the 2022 UCF football recruiting campaign. Coming from Waycross (Ga.) Ware County, Castellanos has physical attributes few signal callers can match.
Castellanos is talented enough to play a plethora of positions -- running back, wide receiver, cornerback or safety -- but will be a signal caller for Coach Malzahn’s offense. Here’s a look at what Castellanos brings to the UCF football team, as well as what his recruitment means.
A True Athlete at the Controls
The term “natural athlete” can be overused. At 6’0”, 190-pounds, Castellanos’s natural athleticism is probably not used enough. Loose hips, explosive stop-and-start movements, excellent upper body flexibility and power, and tremendous hand-eye coordination represent some of his attributes. That’s also why he’s such an intriguing quarterback prospect.
Make no mistake, Castellanos could go to a school like LSU, Ohio State or Florida and play cornerback, and those three programs pump out more NFL cornerbacks than anyone.
During a NFA seven-on-seven tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. earlier this year, Castellanos had one of the most incredible back-to-back plays a cornerback could exhibit. He jammed a wide receiver with a quick hand to the chest, and literally pushed the player further behind the line of scrimmage. The wide receiver never crossed the line of the scrimmage during the entirety of the play. The next play, that same wide receiver took a different approach.
Instead of attempting to go by Castellanos, he ran laterally along the line of scrimmage and tried to go around Castellanos. Fail! Castellanos stayed with him and the wide receiver once again was victimized by press coverage and quick reactions from Castellanos. Still, that’s not why Castellanos will play for the Knights.
Castellanos wants his shot at quarterback, and that is why he wants to be a Knight. As for Castellanos and his ability to be a UCF quarterback, he has skills that few people really know about outside of the state of Georgia where he plays.
Arm Strength and Balance
Watching Castellanos whip a pass by a defender’s ear en route to a wide receiver breaking over the middle is impressive. There are several plays from the highlight reel of Castellanos that displayed his powerful arm. How he generates that power is interesting.
Castellanos showed good balance as he set up to throw passes, and he has solid hip torque to power his throws, but he’s still no place near a quarterback that’s fully utilizing all of his power. Here’s a look at Castellanos’ junior highlights.
Now, after watching the junior highlights, See the above video of Castellanos during the 2021 Orlando Elite 11 Orlando Camp as evidence of how his motion continues to evolve. It’s already a slightly shorter delivery than last season. It’s all part of the progression of being a college quarterback. He will have plenty of people working with him once he reaches Orlando, too.
Once UCF Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach G.J. Kinne has time to work directly with Castellanos, there’s likely to be even more power added to his throwing motion. Some areas that could be tweaked include a few subtle changes to how far apart his feet are consistently aligned beneath his shoulders, and/or how much Castellanos sinks his hips prior to stepping his left foot towards the line of scrimmage prior to passing the football. Also of note, the UCF strength and conditioning program will add strength and even more flexibility to Castellanos. Before Castellanos ever places a UCF uniform on his back, he will have impacted the Knights from a recruiting perspective.
Making a Recruiting Splash in South Georgia
For those of you familiar with Waycross, Ga. or any other town near Waycross, you know how important high school football is to that community. Further, you know how important high school football is in South Georgia regardless of the town.
It’s a lifestyle. Literally.
Huge booster clubs and actual stadiums (yes, better than some colleges) are a part of local communities. Welcome to South Georgia on a fall Friday night. These people live and die with their respective high school programs.
To be honest, one needs to physically go there and watch a game to understand the importance high school football. Those traditions and the importance that high school football has for communities that support high school programs like Bainbridge, Valdosta High School, Valdosta (Lowndes County), Tift County, Colquitt County and Thomasville County Central High School are truly a way of life in South Georgia.
Those are the same programs that can help Coach Malzahn and the UCF football program get over the hump and be a consistent top 10 college football program. There’s a plethora of talent in those areas, and if UCF can mine just a few of those prospects each recruiting cycle, it’s going to pay dividends very quickly.
During the next several weeks, Inside The Knights will be providing recruiting coverage of programs from these areas and all across Georgia, Alabama and Florida. A vast presentation of recruiting coverage will always be a major part of this site.
Final Thoughts
Castellanos is a tremendous pick up for the UCF football program. He’s a very talented athlete with the ability to one day be a big-time college quarterback under the direction of the UCF coaching staff. He’s also an important pillar to the football recruiting campaign.
Many of the UCF coaches recruited Georgia hard while being a part of the Auburn program. They know South Georgia well. Landing Castellanos will help to grab the attention of other recruits from the same area he plays high school football.
You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and UCF_FanNation