BC QB Castellanos to FSU, reunites with Malzahn

Former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos has committed to Florida State, he posted Wednesday night on social media.

Castellanos, who left the Eagles after losing his starting job in November, has one year of remaining eligibility. His commitment to the Seminoles marks an early transfer portal win for coach Mike Norvell and forges a reunion for Castellanos with recently hired Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who previously coached Castellanos at UCF.

Castellanos was a two-year starter at Boston College, starting 12 games as a sophomore under coach Jeff Hafley in 2023 before retaining the role under first-year coach Bill O’Brien this fall. Castellanos appeared in eight games in 2024, completing 61.5% of his passes for 1,366 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions, but he left the program in the final weeks of the regular season after he was replaced by junior Grayson James in the program’s 37-31 win over Syracuse on Nov. 9.

“Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like,” Castellanos wrote in a statement posted to X on Nov. 14. “I will trust in God and his plan for me on my journey.”

The first Boston College player to record 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season, Castellanos lands at Florida State as an intriguing dual-threat weapon about to join a Seminoles offense set to undergo a makeover under Malzahn after finishing the 2024 regular season at No. 132 nationally in total offense (270.3 yards per game).

The 5-foot-9, 196-pound passer from Waycross, Ga., initially committed to Malzahn and UCF as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2022. He appeared in five games for the Knights as a freshman, completing five passes for 75 yards before transferring to Boston College after the 2022 season.

Castellanos claimed the starting job with the Eagles in 2023 and led the program to a 7-6 record last fall, totaling 2,248 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while adding 1,113 rushing yards and another 13 scores on the ground.

Castellanos remained in the starting role under O’Brien and guided Boston College to a 3-1 start in 2024. But Castellanos was never a natural fit in O’Brien’s offense, and the Eagles followed their strong start with losses in three of their next four games. Castellanos’ completion percentage dropped below 50% in his final two games prior to his mid-November departure.

Castellanos will arrive at Florida State with a clear path to the starting job in 2025, following transfer DJ Uiagalelei as a potential answer at the position after the Seminoles’ 2-10 finish in 2024.

Uiagalelei was benched just five games into his debut season at Florida State after transferring from Oregon State. Redshirt freshman Brock Glenn and true freshman Luke Kromenhoek split starting duties for the remainder of the season.

Kromenhoek, ESPN’s No. 159 overall prospect and the No. 7 pocket passer in the 2024 class, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. The Seminoles signed four-star 2025 quarterback Kevin Sperry (No. 132 in the 2025 ESPN 300) during the early signing period last week.