Despite an early interception, Florida State football's Tommy Castellanos shined in the Seminoles second scrimmage of the preseason.
Tommy Castellanos overcame a first-drive interception and put in a scrimmage performance that Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell described as "really good."
The opening interception, made by defensive back Jeremiah Wilson in spectacular fashion, according to Norvell, allowed Castellanos to provide a response that showcased his maturation as the Seminoles' quarterback.
Norvell said Castellanos immediately led two scoring drives following the turnover. The continued growth in confidence of the Seminoles' quarterback manifested itself in his scrimmage performance on Sunday, Aug. 10.
"Nobody ever wants to make a mistake, with the turnover, but you know what you do from that, I thought he showed a lot of maturity," Norvell said. "I thought Tommy had a really good night... You can see him really settling into things he's being asked to do. The development of him as a total and complete quarterback is something I'm excited we are seeing."
"He plays with great energy. You can feel his presence on the field with the guys that are around him."
It's the second consecutive scrimmage that Norvell has praised the play of the veteran signal caller. Following the first scrimmage, he was highlighted for his ability to extend plays with his legs; however, after the second scrimmage, Norvell said that Castellanos was able to shrink the field and make some impressive throws.
One play that stood out was a ball from Castellanos to wide receiver Squirrel White. Norvell said it was a play that allowed the Tennessee transfer to "showcase his speed," and it came on a "great ball from Tommy."
"I thought he did some great things with his arm, being able to small down the field," Norvell said of Castellanos.
Castellanos's ability to make the explosive play is a crucial development for the Seminoles. Norvell spent much of the 2024 season stressing the need for his team to create more explosive plays, and Castellanos was, in part, brought in to address that.
The Seminoles were 12-of-50 on passes that were thrown 20 or more yards last season, with just three resulting in a touchdown and a five picked off in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Additionally, FSU was 49-of-94 on passes thrown 10 or more yards in the air, with DJ Uiagalelei accounting for the majority of that, going 30-52.
Castellanos threw for a combined 11 touchdowns and three interceptions on passes that went 10 or 20-plus yards in the air, going 30-of-66 on those pass attempts last season in eight games, per PFF.
While the big-play threat brought by Castellanos brings a boost to the offense, Norvell ultimately cares more about how his players react to challenges in real-time.
The word "response" is used frequently by Norvell as he analyzes everything done by the team, from reaction to weather or to something like Castellanos's opening drive interception.
How Castellanos responded to his early error on Sunday night gave Norvell more belief in his quarterback.
"He started the scrimmage actually with an explosive play. I'll tell you, Jerry [Jeremiah Wilson], made a great play on the pick... for me it was 'How's he gonna come back from that," Norvell said. "How he responded, that probably gives me more confidence than all the other things that you see when it's going well.
"That's the mark of a great quarterback, and that's what you have to be able to do."
FSU football 2025 schedule
- 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
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football QB Tommy Castellanos shines in scrimmage
Category: General Sports
