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Quarterback Tommy Castellanos has been at Florida State for over two months, and his leadership has not gone unnoticed.
Since joining the Seminoles, the Boston College transfer has expressed his personality, and teammates have fed off of his energy. He has labeled himself goofy, fun to be around, and loose. But when he is behind center and has the ball in his hands, he is focused.
"It is just a part of his personality," Norvell said before the start of spring practice.
"It's a natural spark, and so I think he's really done that, whether it's helping guys, just seeing him through tour of duty, seeing him interacting in meeting rooms, and obviously, anytime we get out there on the field for walk throughs, you can feel his personality, wanting to help, support, encourage, challenge teammates."
Castellanos didn't hesitate to compare himself to another former FSU quarterback with a fun yet upbeat attitude that led the Seminoles to their last national championship.
"I'm like a James Winston type," Castellanos said.
"I'm coming out there. I'm hyped. I’m goofy. I'm playing with the guys, just trying to have that fun about it, so you want to have fun at practice and good energy and good vibe so I'm kind of that goofy type that you know laughs and try to joke around to get the guys going."
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There is no question that Castellanos's new teammates and coaches think the world of him. He took time to connect with teammates during the offseason. FSU's strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms called Castellanos a 'master class' in becoming a leader even as a new player.
"That guy has been phenomenal from when you knew recruiting visit to committing to immediately post that with the help of communicating with other guys," Storms said.
"He's a guy when he got here his first few weeks had a goal of like I want to be able to spend one-on-one time with be in the building, out of the building with every single guy on the roster so coming in the way he went about building relationships you know great person huge energy with that guy and that that's that's infectious guys guys are drawn to that guys feed off that."
Almost every player who has spoken about Castellanos has consistently praised him as a player and person. FSU offensive lineman Gunnar Hansen is in the same transfer portal class as the senior quarterback and has been impressed by how he has quickly won over his teammates.
"He's a great guy. He's a great leader. He's rallying the whole team together. He's buying like winning over the locker room," Hansen said.
"I mean, he's a great quarterback. There are things he can do on the field or special, so it's all just about connecting throughout this offseason and coming into fall camp so we have the best year.”
FSU's sophomore running back, Kam Davis, backed up Castellanos's statement about his personality and focus. He mentioned that Castellanos connected with his receivers and running backs every Saturday and worked on routes.
"Tommyy's a great guy. He is a professional but at the same time he has a goofy side," Davis said.
"I think that's almost every football player, but Tommy is a very calm, chill guy. He loves to crack jokes, all about the work, getting routs in every Saturday and stuff no matter if we have practice or not. So, he came in with a mindset, and the offense revolved around him."
The one player who has grown closer to Castellanos from the beginning is wide receiver Duce Robinson. The USC transfer, also in the same 2025 class, made it known he joined the Seminoles because of his connection with the former Boston College star.
Since they've enrolled, they have been inseparable. They live across the hall from each other. Castellanos will leave the door open for Robinson, and that trust is translating on the field at the start of spring practice.
"When I came on my visit here, he was here as well. He made sure he was here and able to show me around and just be with me every step of the way, and he's been great," Robinson said.
"You can tell when you talk to someone, and you can tell you're just going to be able to be lifelong friends, and as soon as I talk to him, I'm like, okay, this is my type of person. This is the person I want to be with every day. This is the person I want to throw me the football, but more than just being on the field. We do everything together. We go eat together. We go play basketball together. It's really like a brotherhood."
More: FSU football needed a new leader for offensive line. Here's how Luke Petitbon stepped up
Castellanos is on his third team in four years. While establishing himself in the last two seasons at Boston College, he started his college career at UCF, where Gus Malzahn was the head coach in 2022.
"It feels good. I'm just getting used to what I was used to in my freshman year, but it's been great," Castellanos said. "Gus is a great coach, and his play calling is really good, so I'm just getting back used to being under him and running his offense."
Castellanos is happy to reunite with Malzahn. He sees a difference in the former UCF head coach as an offensive coordinator and believes he is happier than ever.
“He’'s excited. He's more energetic. He's happy to be here. He's happy to coach us," Castellanos said.
"Just focus on one thing, and I think that's helping him a lot. He's happy every day and he's getting the best out of us every single day.”
In the last three years, Castellanos has played in different schemes. Last year at Boston College, he played in Bill O'Brien's pro-style offense, passing for 1,366 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. In his career, he has thrown for 3,689 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
On the ground, the 5-foot-9 senior has rushed for 1,427 and 15 scores. A chunk full of his production numbers came in 2023, when he produced 3,361 total yards offense. With his experience, Castellanos is confident he can play in any scheme on offense once given the time to learn the playbook.
"I've been the quarterback in college for quite some time now, so any playbook they give me," Castellanos said. "I just study it and go over it, and it just comes naturally."
More: Why Florida State Seminoles football QB Brock Glenn decided to stay: He's a competitor
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tommy Castellanos' personality traits sparks FSU football this spring
Continue reading...
Since joining the Seminoles, the Boston College transfer has expressed his personality, and teammates have fed off of his energy. He has labeled himself goofy, fun to be around, and loose. But when he is behind center and has the ball in his hands, he is focused.
"It is just a part of his personality," Norvell said before the start of spring practice.
"It's a natural spark, and so I think he's really done that, whether it's helping guys, just seeing him through tour of duty, seeing him interacting in meeting rooms, and obviously, anytime we get out there on the field for walk throughs, you can feel his personality, wanting to help, support, encourage, challenge teammates."
Castellanos didn't hesitate to compare himself to another former FSU quarterback with a fun yet upbeat attitude that led the Seminoles to their last national championship.
"I'm like a James Winston type," Castellanos said.
"I'm coming out there. I'm hyped. I’m goofy. I'm playing with the guys, just trying to have that fun about it, so you want to have fun at practice and good energy and good vibe so I'm kind of that goofy type that you know laughs and try to joke around to get the guys going."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Tommy Castellanos rallies around his teammates
There is no question that Castellanos's new teammates and coaches think the world of him. He took time to connect with teammates during the offseason. FSU's strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms called Castellanos a 'master class' in becoming a leader even as a new player.
"That guy has been phenomenal from when you knew recruiting visit to committing to immediately post that with the help of communicating with other guys," Storms said.
"He's a guy when he got here his first few weeks had a goal of like I want to be able to spend one-on-one time with be in the building, out of the building with every single guy on the roster so coming in the way he went about building relationships you know great person huge energy with that guy and that that's that's infectious guys guys are drawn to that guys feed off that."
Almost every player who has spoken about Castellanos has consistently praised him as a player and person. FSU offensive lineman Gunnar Hansen is in the same transfer portal class as the senior quarterback and has been impressed by how he has quickly won over his teammates.
"He's a great guy. He's a great leader. He's rallying the whole team together. He's buying like winning over the locker room," Hansen said.
"I mean, he's a great quarterback. There are things he can do on the field or special, so it's all just about connecting throughout this offseason and coming into fall camp so we have the best year.”
FSU's sophomore running back, Kam Davis, backed up Castellanos's statement about his personality and focus. He mentioned that Castellanos connected with his receivers and running backs every Saturday and worked on routes.
"Tommyy's a great guy. He is a professional but at the same time he has a goofy side," Davis said.
"I think that's almost every football player, but Tommy is a very calm, chill guy. He loves to crack jokes, all about the work, getting routs in every Saturday and stuff no matter if we have practice or not. So, he came in with a mindset, and the offense revolved around him."
The one player who has grown closer to Castellanos from the beginning is wide receiver Duce Robinson. The USC transfer, also in the same 2025 class, made it known he joined the Seminoles because of his connection with the former Boston College star.
Since they've enrolled, they have been inseparable. They live across the hall from each other. Castellanos will leave the door open for Robinson, and that trust is translating on the field at the start of spring practice.
"When I came on my visit here, he was here as well. He made sure he was here and able to show me around and just be with me every step of the way, and he's been great," Robinson said.
"You can tell when you talk to someone, and you can tell you're just going to be able to be lifelong friends, and as soon as I talk to him, I'm like, okay, this is my type of person. This is the person I want to be with every day. This is the person I want to throw me the football, but more than just being on the field. We do everything together. We go eat together. We go play basketball together. It's really like a brotherhood."
More: FSU football needed a new leader for offensive line. Here's how Luke Petitbon stepped up
Tommy Castellano back to playing in Gus Malzahn's system
Castellanos is on his third team in four years. While establishing himself in the last two seasons at Boston College, he started his college career at UCF, where Gus Malzahn was the head coach in 2022.
"It feels good. I'm just getting used to what I was used to in my freshman year, but it's been great," Castellanos said. "Gus is a great coach, and his play calling is really good, so I'm just getting back used to being under him and running his offense."
Castellanos is happy to reunite with Malzahn. He sees a difference in the former UCF head coach as an offensive coordinator and believes he is happier than ever.
“He’'s excited. He's more energetic. He's happy to be here. He's happy to coach us," Castellanos said.
"Just focus on one thing, and I think that's helping him a lot. He's happy every day and he's getting the best out of us every single day.”
In the last three years, Castellanos has played in different schemes. Last year at Boston College, he played in Bill O'Brien's pro-style offense, passing for 1,366 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. In his career, he has thrown for 3,689 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
On the ground, the 5-foot-9 senior has rushed for 1,427 and 15 scores. A chunk full of his production numbers came in 2023, when he produced 3,361 total yards offense. With his experience, Castellanos is confident he can play in any scheme on offense once given the time to learn the playbook.
"I've been the quarterback in college for quite some time now, so any playbook they give me," Castellanos said. "I just study it and go over it, and it just comes naturally."
More: Why Florida State Seminoles football QB Brock Glenn decided to stay: He's a competitor
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tommy Castellanos' personality traits sparks FSU football this spring
Continue reading...
