Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos has had a rollercoaster of a season, dealing with lingering injuries and now facing a major shift in his role with the team.
Last weekend, the Eagles managed to break a three-game losing streak by pulling off a 37-31 win against Syracuse. However, this victory came with a twist – Castellanos was benched mid-game, and backup quarterback Grayson James stepped in, delivering a solid performance with 51 passing yards and a touchdown.
Following this, head coach Bill O'Brien made it clear that he’s sticking with James as the starting QB going forward. The news didn’t sit well with Castellanos, who has started for the Eagles in 21 games over the past two seasons.
After hearing the decision, he chose to step away from the team to process the change. O'Brien acknowledged the decision publicly, saying:
“Tommy has done a great job for us," O'Brien said via Sports Illustrated. "He’s an awesome competitor. We have a lot of respect for Tommy. Obviously, he wasn’t real thrilled with , so he’s taking a couple days , so I’ll get back to you on that one. But Grayson James will be the starter.”
This season, Castellanos has put up decent stats, with a 61.5% completion rate and 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions over eight games. Still, Boston College’s passing game has been a work-in-progress, struggling to find consistent rhythm, which might have factored into O'Brien's decision to try something new.
With three games left, the Eagles, now sitting at 5-4, are focused on securing a bowl game spot. Their upcoming matchups include a challenging road game against No. 13 SMU and two home games against North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
As for Castellanos, his future with Boston College seems uncertain. Only time will tell if he’ll rejoin the team or consider a different path. If he has truly been replaced, it wouldn't be surprising if he ended up entering the Transfer Portal.
Castellanos would be an upgrade at the position for a lot of notable FBS programs — including many Power-4 teams around the country — so it would logically make sense for him to enter the portal and see what deal he might can secure.
Of course, it's important to note that this is just speculation and nothing official has been stated. Until he makes anything official, Castellanos is still a part of the Boston College team. His status for the game against SMU this Saturday has not been revealed.