Originally 'locked on' Auburn, Tommy Castellanos sees big things for FSU in 2025

Tommy Castellanos has said numerous times since December that FSU was his dream school growing up and that he was thrilled to get a second chance to sign with the Seminoles out of the transfer portal.

But in an interview with the ACC Network’s Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain, which was released Wednesday morning, Castellanos explained that he originally planned to transfer to Auburn when he left Boston College and entered the portal.

It wasn’t until he got a call from new FSU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn that things changed, almost in an instant.

“Auburn was the school that got me, you know, in the portal,” Castellanos said. “They had me really locked on them, to be honest. And then when I got in, it was kind of crazy, but I had visits just lined up … but Gus gave me a call, man, and there’s no way I could say no. There’s no way I could say no.”

Castellanos started for most of the past two seasons at Boston College, but he never meshed well with new head coach Bill O’Brien, who took over for the 2024 season. O’Brien was looking to install a pro-style offense with a true pocket-passer, whereas the dynamic Castellanos wanted to be able to make plays with his legs as well as his arm.

In 2023, Castellanos passed for 2,248 yards and ran for another 1,113.

In a partial season under O’Brien in 2024, he passed for 1,366 yards and ran for just 194.

With Malzahn running the show at FSU, things will be different.

“There’s no leash on me,” Castellanos said. “You know, like taking a dog to the park and just, ‘Go be free!’ I love that I have the keys to do whatever I want, whenever I need to. And be able to just showcase and be Houdini or be whoever, whatever I need to be, whenever it’s time to be that. So I just feel so free and just so happy now that I’m able to go do what I do and be me.”

As a cousin of former FSU star running back Devonta Freeman and with lots of family in South Florida, Castellanos explained that he grew up dreaming of playing for the Seminoles.

He said he is looking forward to taking a picture with Osceola and Renegade, and he can’t wait to run onto the field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Aug. 30 to face Alabama.

“I was just telling somebody the other day, like I cry just thinking about it,” Castellanos said. “This is a big deal, me being the quarterback of Florida State. I still don’t sometimes think it’s real, or think it’s a dream. But it’s a dream come true, for sure. God has put me in place to accomplish every goal and dream that I ever asked him for. He just put me in place, now it’s up to me to go meet him halfway and get it done. So I’m excited to see what this year brings. …

“My job here is to just get them back to where that fan base is used to seeing — get Florida State Football back to being Florida State Football. Get it back to the standard, and get it back to that level that everybody’s used to seeing. So that’s the only thing I’ll focus on this year, is trying to get back to the standard.”

When Castellanos was coming out of high school in the 2022 recruiting class, FSU head coach Mike Norvell offered him a scholarship, but as an “athlete” and not as a quarterback. So he originally signed with Malzahn at UCF and spent a year there before transferring to Boston College.

There were no hard feelings when Norvell and Malzahn reached out to Castellanos in the transfer portal, and the dynamic signal-caller said he has had no regrets since coming to Tallahassee.

“He’s real,” Castellanos said of Norvell. “Like when you go and visit and stuff like that, people lay out the red carpet. And when you get there, they switch up and change. But he’s the same person every day. … He’s definitely somebody that I dreamed of playing for — just a head coach with the type of energy and intensity that he brings.”

When asked about his expectations for this season, Castellanos laughed and said he doesn’t want to make any bold predictions just yet.

“The only thing I can say is, just watch,” he said. “Me personally, I think it’s going to be special. Just by me and what they’ve done with this team and surrounding me by the amount of guys and talent and weapons that I have, and up front. And then defensively, I’m telling you … I think it’ll be special. And the only thing I can say is, just watch.”

Along with getting comfortable in Malzahn’s offense, Castellanos said his primary objective this spring has been earning the trust of his teammates, and learning how to put them in the best positions possible to succeed.

After about three weeks of spring practice, he likes what he sees.

“Duce Robinson, Squirrel White, Jaylan Bogs, Hykeem Williams, even some young guys, Elijah Moore,” Castellanos said, when asked about the playmakers who have impressed him. “I think our tight end room is one of the best groups on this team. We have some real-deal tight ends. So I’m not going to lie, I think we have a really good team. By far, this is the best team that I’ve ever been on. …

“Now, it’s just about jelling together, building that foundation and seeing how we come together and play for each other. Because you can have the best talent in the world and stuff like that, but it’s not about Xs and Os and stuff like that. It’s about, ‘Will you go out there and lay it on the line for me every single play?’ And that’s right now what we’re installing. Competing and battling, trying to trust each other and build those bonds and relationships on and off the field.”

You can watch the entire Castellanos interview, as well as an interview with Warchant’s Ira Schoffel, right here:

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Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.