Mark Ingram reacts to Tommy Castellanos' quote about Alabama, Nick Saban: 'Just keep talking'

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos ruffled a few feathers with his comments toward Alabama this past week. With both teams set to meet this fall, hype for the Week 1 matchup is at an all-time high.

Castellanos’ comments have led to the response of Crimson Tide fans, and now former Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram has thrown his two cents into the subject. He responded to Castellanos on his show, the Triple Option Podcast.

“Let him run his mouth. Let him talk,” Ingram told his co-hosts, Rob Stone and Urban Meyer. “You’re supposed to be confident as an athlete. As a dog, he’s supposed to be confident. So let him run his mouth and give the dogs at Alabama a reason to go in, make him regret what he said so Alabama can come without out with a vengeance this year.”

Castellanos’s comments came during an exclusive interview with On3’s Pete Nakos. The new Florida State QB’s controversial statements includes Alabama not having Nick Saban to “save them” anymore and that “I just don’t see them stopping me.”

He’s set to enter his first season as Florida State’s quarterback after beginning his career at UCF and spending the last two years at Boston College. He led the Eagles to consecutive 7-6 seasons before transferring to Florida State earlier this offseason.

From a Crimson Tide perspective, Ingram believes this is the precise motivation head coach Kalen DeBoer and company need heading into the new college football season. He called it ‘bulletin board material.’

“We need some get back,” Ingram said. “We need some bounce back. And just go ahead and sprinkle a little extra motivation on top a little bulletin board material, because I know they gonna use it. I know [Kalen] DeBoer at Alabama. I know they’re gonna use what this man’s saying, coming from Boston College at Florida State, who just had probably one of the worst seasons ever..

“So yeah, good for him, man. I’m glad he’s confident. Feel free to keep talking. … He said he’s been dreaming of this moment. So we’ll see if it’s a dream or a nightmare soon.”

The Week 1 matchup between the Crimson Tide and Seminoles is set for Saturday, Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET inside Doak Campbell Stadium and will air live on ABC. Alabama has opened as a 12.5-point betting favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.