9/12/2023 football Edit

FSU aware of BC QB Thomas Castellanos' athleticism after recruiting him

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Once again, Florida State's defense will have the tough task of defending a mobile quarterback this weekend at Boston College.

In their first game of the season, the FSU coaching staff had a working knowledge of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels' athleticism from its previous time facing him in 2022.

Entering this third game of the season, FSU's staff has a different experience with BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

"Thomas is somebody we recruited. We were looking at him as a running back/athlete as he was coming out. He's really done a nice job..." FSU head coach Mike Norvel said Monday. "You see the play-making ability that he has. He was a great player in high school. He's somebody that you absolutely have to work to contain."

Castellanos, a three-star quarterback in the 2022 class out of Waycross (Ga.) Ware County High, announced he had received an offer from FSU in February 2021 before he committed to UCF the very next month. Despite taking two unofficial visits to FSU that fall, Castellanos chose the Knights over the Seminoles because he wanted to play quarterback and FSU wasn't going to give him that opportunity.

As it turned out, Castellanos was only at UCF for one year and transferred to Boston College ahead of the 2023 season. He didn't begin the season as the starting quarterback, but he replaced Emmett Morehead in the first half of BC's season opener vs. Northern Illinois.

Castellanos helped BC rally from a 14-0 deficit, leading the Eagles in passing yards (138) and rushing yards (67) while accounting for all three of BC's touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a game NIU eventually won in overtime.

While Castellanos may be diminutive at 5-foot-10, 196 pounds, what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in freakish athleticism. Look no further than this fourth-down completion play he made in BC's season-opening game.

Even FSU quarterback Jordan Travis, an elite escape artist in his own right, would have to tip his cap to Castellanos for a play like this.

"He will be challenging from the standpoint of he's gonna keep plays alive. He's been trying to make plays with his feet and I think he's done a really pretty good job so far in these first couple games," FSU special teams coordinator/defensive ends coach John Papuchis said of Castellanos. "We've got to make sure that we're establishing our presence in the line of scrimmage, but also playing with some discipline and structure because obviously, he's a guy that can create plays with his speed.”

Although the game was against an FCS opponent, Castellanos definitely appeared to show some signs of immediate growth in his first start at BC last Saturday vs. Holy Cross.

After Castellanos completed 13 of 28 passes (46.4%) in Week 1, he was a much more efficient 17 of 23 (73.9%) in Week 2 with 69 rushing yards. He also surpassed 200 passing yards for the first time in his career vs. Holy Cross and once again threw two touchdowns, but this time with no interception like he had vs. NIU.

"He plays like a slot receiver. He's more in and out of cuts. The difference between a slot and him is he has the ball in his hands. He has the ability to pump fake people to get people out of the way," FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said. "He's definitely got legitimate quickness. He plays with a lot of confidence. He made some throws last week against Holy Cross that he didn't make against NIU. I wouldn't say he's Jayden Daniels, but he definitely offers a unique skill-set for the position of extreme quickness."

Early signs this season indicate that FSU's run defense could be improved. A year after Daniels ran for 114 yards and averaged over seven yards per carry vs. FSU in New Orleans, the Seminoles limited him to 64 yards, 40 of which came on a single play, in this year's game against LSU.

Last Saturday, FSU held Southern Miss standout running back Frank Gore Jr. to 31 yards on 11 carries (2.8 yards per carry).

At least from a quarterback athleticism standpoint, the Seminoles' test Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill may be their toughest of the season.

"He moves really good in the pocket. QB runs, he takes off really fast," FSU defensive tackle Fabien Lovett said of Castellanos. "He's strong, kind of short but he's a big guy who is going to take off and try to get that extra yard."