FSU's Tommy Castellanos should stand on business. That's the type of QB Mike Norvell wants

Tommy Castellanos should stand by what he said about Alabama. It the level of confidence FSU football needs in its quarterback.

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos is standing on business.

As he should

It was obvious that Castellanos would address his previous comment about Alabama sooner, before the opener, which is a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

A reminder of what he said about the Crimson Tide, in an interview with On3, Castellanos stated that without Nick Saban, Alabama's defense will struggle against him.

Jul 23, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In day two of the ACC Media Kickoff, Castellanos remained confident about dealing with Bama in FSU's season opener and seemed to have the support of teammates who feel the same way.

"We stand on what I said," Castellanos said.

"But there's no disrespect between that team or anything like that. It's just the confidence that I have in my teammates and the way we've been preparing and putting this preparation together this off-season, I just feel confident in the guys and the work that we've been putting in. Just feel confident in me and my teammates and Coach Norvell and how he's get."

Whether the results will go against Castellanos' favor, and the internet world will react to it in the worst way possible, his point has been made.

Why can't Castellanos feel that no defensive team can stop him?

This is the same quarterback who produced 3,300 total yards and 28 total touchdowns on his own as a sophomore, including 1,113 yards on the ground.

Jul 23, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Tommy Castellanos' confidence is exactly what FSU football needs

Jul 23, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

No football player, coach, or fan needs a choir boy behind center. Even for head coach Mike Norvell, when he fiercely stated that he is not looking for sidekicks.

Castellanos seems like the no-sidekick kind of guy. The moment he enrolled at FSU, Castellanos was viewed as a leader. He does have an enriching personality, as he alluded to on different occasions.

He is the complete opposite of DJ Uiagalelei last, who was quiet and as aggressive when commanding his teammates, at least from what we've seen from a distance.

Castellanos has a combination of a Jameis Winston-type attitude, as he compares himself, but also a mixture of Jordan Travis when it comes to swag, and can back things up with his level of play.

Boston College Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1) scrambles during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

No, we didn't see it last in his final tenure at Boston College. Castellanos clearly didn't fit the pro-style offense created by Bill O'Brien, which led to a complete fall-off in his season and ultimately resulted in his departure from the program after being benched late in the year.

"You know, I'm very thankful for Boston College and all the people there that supported mewhen I was there," Castellanos said.

"I had a great time there. But we're past that. I'm focused on this season and focused on everything going forward with my new teammates and my new team."

Castellanos has a clean slate with nothing to lose. He's off the radar of everyone as one of the top QBs in his own conference, let alone on a national scale. That means no one will see it coming, except Castellanos.

Florida State football 2025 schedule

Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Florida State Seminoles helmet on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

  • Aug. 30, Alabama, 3:30 p.m.
  • Sept. 6, East Texas A&M, Noon
  • Sept. 20, Kent State, TBA
  • Sept. 26, at Virginia (Friday), 7 p.m.
  • Oct. 4, Miami, TBA
  • Oct. 11, Pittsburgh, TBA
  • Oct. 18, at Stanford, 10:30 p.m.
  • Nov. 1 Wake Forest, TBA
  • Nov. 8 at Clemson, TBA
  • Nov. 15 Virginia Tech, TBA
  • Nov. 21 North Carolina State (Fri.), 8 p.m.
  • Nov. 29, Florida, TBA

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why FSU football's Tommy Castellanos should stand his ground on comments

Category: General Sports