After talking the talk this offseason, Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos walked the walk on Saturday. The standout transfer was instrumental in the Seminoles’ 31-17 win over No. 8 Alabama. After the game, Castellanos reflected on the jaw-dropping victory.
“There’s a reason why I came here. That’s one of the reasons why I came here, for moments like these and days like these,” Castellanos said. “We got a long season ahead — just take it one week at a time and just keep climbing.”
In June, Castellanos made headlines when he didn’t back down from the Week 1 challenge against Alabama: “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
While pundits around the country laughed at Castellanos at the time, the Boston College transfer had the last laugh on Saturday. In the win, Castellanos completed 9-of-his-14 pass attempts for 152 yards, without throwing an interception.
However, where Castellanos really shined, was in the ground game. He finished the game with 16 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. He never fumbled.
It was a breath of fresh air for the Seminoles, who entered last season as the ACC favorite, only to finish the year with a 2-10 record. Now, Florida State is officially back in the national conversation and Castellanos couldn’t be more thankful.
“It feels great,” Castellanos said. “I relied on my teammates today, relied on my coaches. They put us in a position to go out there and execute and win. We came together today.
“We heard everything everybody said, we’d seen everything everybody said and we just added that fuel to the fire and we went out there and just played ball together. We went out there together and we executed. That’s it.”
Castellanos poured salt in Alabama’s wound on Sunday by releasing a T-shirt with the quote “Nick can’t save them.” He’s selling the T-shirts for $45 apiece, and will be able to pocket the profits, thanks to NIL. FSU head coach Mike Norvell raved about Castellanos’ fearless attitude after the game.
“He really is a guy that, when he steps on the field, 10 guys on offense are better, and the guys he’s competing against defensively, they support him and embrace all things that he brings,” Norvell said. “He’s got great energy. But it’s not just what he says. That’s where people can get caught up because he’s somebody who’s not afraid to talk and put thoughts out there.
“He does it with his actions. If Tommy doesn’t say a word, you would still feel the way he plays. I’m grateful he’s willing to put himself out there. We’ve got a lot of guys that have shown up on this team that even in the course of sometimes making a misstep or a mistake or getting beat on a play, they’re not pulling back, they’re pushing forward. I think Tommy is a remarkable competitor. I’m just proud of what he’s done up to this point.”
