‘I Don’t See Them Stopping Me’

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Thomas Castellanos is determined to prove his doubters wrong this fall following a transfer to Florida State. The starting quarterback continues to poke the bear that is Alabama.

The Seminoles will host the Crimson Tide in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season. Castellanos is confident in his ability to take down his future foe.

The passer started his career at Central Florida before moving into the ACC with Boston College. There, he threw for more than 3,600 yards to go along with 33 touchdowns.

Despite the production, he was benched in his final season with the Eagles. That demotion led to a second transfer within the conference.

That move seems to have proven quite lucrative given his activity on social media. The passer’s been spotted travelling the world this offseason while also flaunting his NIL wealth.

Most recently, he showed off a new tint on his Mercedes-Benz GLE53.

Castellanos’s NIL value sits around $500K according to On3 Sports’ valuation. It ranks fifth on the FSU roster. He’s looking to show that he’s worth the investment by helping his new school rebound from a 2-10 campaign.

He’s been handed the keys to the offense by head coach Mike Norvell. Castellanos says he’s not only playing for himself, but for the opportunity to “save jobs” on the coaching staff.

“I’m playing for coaches who are fathers and who have homes and families here,” he said in an interview with Pete Nakos of On3 Sports. “I’m trying to save jobs and win.”

Within that interview was a direct shot at Alabama, his first opponent as a Seminole. He doesn’t believe the Crimson Tide will present a worth adversary with Nick Saban no longer at the helm.

“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them,” he stated. “I just don’t see them stopping me.”

Alabama did struggle at times with dual threat quarterbacks last year. That was evident in a close win vs. South Carolina, as well as surprising losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Still, it was a defensive bunch that ranked 10th in the nation, allowing just 17.4 points per game.

Thomas Castellanos is out for revenge.

His motivation likely stems from his rejection at Boston College. It might also have something to do with his being overlooked as a high school recruit.

Castellanos was rated as a three-star prospect in the class of 2022. The signal caller played his high school ball in the heart of SEC Country for Ware County in Waycross, Georgia.

He picked up offers from schools like Florida State and Kansas in the recruiting process according to his 247 Sports profile but was not given an opportunity by SEC schools.

Alabama was the class of the conference under Nick Saban. It took a step back in Year 1 with Kalen DeBoer. Castellanos believes he can capitalize.

This isn’t the first bit of shade the quarterback’s thrown in reference to that matchup with the Crimson Tide. Earlier this offseason, he was heard ripping ESPN for not putting the opener in primetime. In a now-deleted post on X, he wrote, “LOL, no primetime is crazy but bet.” The game will kick off at 3:30 PM.

Thomas Castellanos believes both he and his team are being overlooked following a disastrous 2024 campaign. He’s taken it upon himself to right the ship. That starts with Game 1 against Alabama.

Castellanos is motivated to prove the doubters wrong. He’s not lacking confidence ahead of his first season with the Seminoles. We’ll see if his words come back to bite in Week 1.