The Florida State Seminoles are looking to rebuild after a terrible season in 2024 as Mike Norvell desperately needs to get this team back on track. Most of the blame from Florida State's side has landed on their quarterback last season DJ Uiagalelei. The transfer and former 5-star recruit didn't live up to the hype and it ended up keeping the offense from ever finding a rhythm in a season where the Seminoles simply had too much to overcome.
Heading into the 2025 season, Mike Norvell is taking a similar approach with how he's building his offense. The Seminoles went out and added Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos to lead the offense but, he like DJ Uiagalelei has his flaws. While Castellanos has shown a ton of promise, he was also benched last season which should cause some concern.
Nonetheless, the Seminoles eggs are all in the Castellanos basket as the team doesn't have any quarterback that stands out besides him. Brock Glenn has some experience for the Seminoles but, if he's thrust into the starting role this team is in serious trouble. Given that Castellanos is a smaller quarterback who likes to run the ball, the big concern for Seminoles fans will come every time he takes a hit.
When speaking with the media this week, Thomas Castellanos broke down his approach to staying healthy and in the lineup for Florida State.
"I feel like through the course of my years I’m not really a big hitter type of guy, I don’t really want to be touched, so I’ll go down and slide and stuff like that. Think one of my biggest improvements this spring and summer was just knowing when the play is over and throwing the ball at someone’s feet or out of bounds or just going down."Thomas Castellanos
In 2023, Castellanos showed how effective he can be as a rusher, picking up 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns with his legs. While Mike Norvell is going to rely heavily on Castellanos to improve as a passer, the rushing ability is going to drive the offense. This offseason, Gus Malzahn was hired as the offensive coordinator and he'll look to turn to some of the great offenses at Auburn as an example of how this can work with Castellanos under center.
If Thomas Castellanos can stay healthy balancing his rushing and passing ability, the Seminoles could return to contention in the ACC. Castellanos will need to take a step forward both as a player and as a leader otherwise, this season could end up landing Mike Norvell on the hot seat.
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