Tommy Castellanos
Castellanos with Boston College in 2023 | |
| No. 4 – Texas Tech Red Raiders | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 26, 2003 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Listed weight | 198 lb (90 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ware County (GA) |
| College | UCF (2022) Boston College (2023–2024) Florida State (2025) Texas Tech (2026–present) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Thomas Castellanos (born August 26, 2003) is an American football quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He previously played for the UCF Knights, the Boston College Eagles, and the Florida State Seminoles.
Early life
[edit]Castellanos was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Waycross, Georgia.[1][2] He was the seventh of 11 children in his family. His father died when he was 3, and Castellanos was raised by his mother, Yukia.[1][3][4]
Castellanos attended Ware County High School where he played football, basketball and track and field.[5] As a junior, he was named first-team all-state at quarterback while leading his team to a 10–2 record and throwing for 2,881 yards and 23 touchdowns, additionally rushing for 939 yards and 24 touchdowns.[6] As a senior, he threw for 2,613 yards and 25 scores while adding 968 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.[7] Castellanos totaled 7,710 passing yards and 3,681 rushing yards for Ware County, also playing defensive back in addition to quarterback.[8] As a three-star prospect and the #33 ATH in the country,[9] Castellanos committed to play college football for the UCF Knights, choosing them over Florida State and Georgia.[10][11]
College career
[edit]UCF
[edit]2022 season
[edit]As a true freshman with the UCF Knights in 2022, Castellanos appeared in five games and completed 9-of-16 pass attempts for 75 yards.[8] He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the season and ultimately transferred to Boston College, choosing them over Texas State.[12]
Boston College
[edit]2023 season
[edit]Castellanos was named backup to Emmett Morehead to begin the 2023 season, but replaced him in the first half of the season opener against Northern Illinois.[13][3] Entering the game with his team down 14–0, he helped them come back before losing in overtime, leading them in passing and rushing while also being responsible for all three of their touchdowns.[13] He was named the team's full-time starting quarterback afterwards.[14] In his first start, he led Boston College to a 31–28 win over Holy Cross while completing 17-of-23 pass attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns, additionally having 69 rushing yards off 16 attempts.[15] In his second start, he helped the Eagles come close to upsetting third-ranked Florida State, throwing for 305 yards and a touchdown and running for 95 yards and another score in the 31–29 loss.[16]
Castellanos continued as BC's starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2023 season. He led the Eagles to their first seven-win season since 2018 and their first bowl game win since 2016, in which the Eagles upset No. 24 SMU Mustangs, and he won Offensive MVP.[17]
Castellanos ended the season as the second-most prolific rushing quarterback in the FBS, only behind LSU's Jayden Daniels.[18]
2024 season
[edit]Castellanos was named the starter for the 2024 season. To begin the season, the Eagles, led by Castellanos, upset the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles, where Castellanos was 10 of 16 for 106 pass yards, two pass touchdowns and no interceptions, adding 73 rush yards and a rush touchdown. The following week, after a blowout win against Duquesne, the Eagles were ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, which was the first time they had been ranked since 2018. That week, the Eagles came close to upsetting the No. 6 Missouri Tigers, eventually losing 27–21. In this game, Castellanos was 16 of 28 for 249 passing yards, three pass touchdowns, and two interceptions. The following week, the Eagles beat the Michigan State Spartans 23–19 in the famous red bandana game, where Castellanos was 10 of 16 for 140 pass yards, a pass touchdown and no interceptions. It was later reported Castellanos had an undisclosed injury, which ruled him out for the 21–20 win over Western Kentucky. In the Week 11 game against Syracuse, Castellanos was 2 of 7 for 14 pass yards, one pass touchdown and an interception, before eventually getting injured with an apparent lower body injury, sidelining him for the rest of the game in the 37–31 win over Syracuse.[citation needed] It was later stated that Castellanos was healthy enough to return, but benched for the remainder of the game by head coach Bill O’Brien.
On November 13, 2024, head coach Bill O'Brien announced FIU transfer Grayson James would get the start over Castellanos at SMU.[19] The next day, Castellanos announced he intended to enter the transfer portal. On December 9, 2024, Castellanos officially entered the transfer portal.[20]
Florida State
[edit]On December 11, 2024, Castellanos announced that he would transfer to Florida State.[21] In his first start with Florida State, which was unranked at the time, Castellanos threw 9 of 14 for 152 yards, and had 16 carries, 78 yards and a rushing touchdown to add to an upset win against the eighth-ranked team, Alabama, 31–17.[22]
Texas Tech
[edit]On August 26, 2026, Castellanos committed to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders for his fifth season.[23] After filing a lawsuit in the state of Kentucky, he was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and granted eligibility for 2026.[24] On October 2, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the NCAA, dissolving the temporary injunction that had granted Castellanos an extra year of eligibility.[25] That same day, Texas Tech announced that Castellanos would not be eligible for the Red Raiders' week 5 game against Colorado.[26]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| 2022 | UCF | 5 | 0 | — | 9 | 16 | 56.3 | 75 | 4.7 | 0 | 0 | 95.6 | 14 | 120 | 8.6 | 1 |
| 2023 | Boston College | 13 | 12 | 7–5 | 189 | 330 | 57.3 | 2,248 | 6.8 | 15 | 14 | 121.0 | 215 | 1,114 | 5.2 | 13 |
| 2024 | Boston College | 8 | 8 | 4–4 | 99 | 161 | 61.5 | 1,366 | 8.5 | 18 | 5 | 163.4 | 93 | 194 | 2.1 | 1 |
| 2025 | Florida State | 12 | 12 | 5–7 | 180 | 309 | 58.3 | 2,760 | 8.9 | 15 | 9 | 143.5 | 137 | 557 | 4.1 | 9 |
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 3 | 1 | 1–0 | 2 | 4 | 50.0 | 35 | 8.8 | 2 | 1 | 238.5 | 10 | 44 | 4.4 | 2 |
| Career | 40 | 32 | 17–16 | 479 | 820 | 58.4 | 6,484 | 7.9 | 50 | 29 | 137.9 | 469 | 2,028 | 4.3 | 26 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+3⁄4 in (1.77 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 0+3⁄4 in (1.85 m) | 4.62 s | 1.60 s | 2.60 s | 4.52 s | 7.16 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | |
| All values from Pro Day[27] | ||||||||||||
In April 2026, Castellanos attended the rookie minicamp of the Tennessee Titans.[28] On July 31, 2026, Castellanos was granted a fifth year of college eligibility as part of a class-wide preliminary injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to pursue a return to college football.[29] The ruling followed his limited participation at UCF, where he played in only five games during the 2022 season, including the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.[30]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Hass, Trevor (October 27, 2023). "Fueled by memory of brother, Thomas Castellanos is starring at BC". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Thomas Castellanos". ESPN.
- 1 2 Palmar, Mauricio (November 7, 2024). "Thomas Castellanos has blossomed into BC's next star quarterback". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ↑ Castellanos, Thomas (August 12, 2025). "ACC Huddle Special: Tommy Castellanos" (video). www.espn.com/watch/. ACC Network.
- ↑ "Thomas Castellanos". 247Sports.
- ↑ "Thomas Castellanos, Ware County". The Atlanta Constitution. August 15, 2021. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.

- ↑ Williams, Jack (September 14, 2023). "Quarterback Thomas Castellanos biggest threat to FSU football in ACC opener at Boston College". Tallahassee Democrat – via Yahoo!.
- 1 2 Thompson, Rich (August 28, 2023). "QB's Morehead, Castellanos give BC different looks". Boston Herald.
- ↑ "Tommy Castellanos, Ware County , Athlete". 247Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Brian (December 14, 2021). "UCF QB Commitment Thomas Castellanos Opens up About His Recruitment". Sports Illustrated.
- ↑ Helwig, Brandon (March 15, 2021). "Gus gets his QB: Thomas Castellanos excited about UCF commitment". Rivals.com.
- ↑ Beede, Jason (April 23, 2023). "QB Castellanos enters spring transfer portal". Sun Sentinel. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.

- 1 2 Weiler, Curt (September 12, 2023). "FSU aware of BC QB Thomas Castellanos' athleticism after recruiting him". Rivals.com.
- ↑ Thamel, Pete (September 9, 2023). "Boston College makes Thomas Castellanos starting QB". ESPN.
- ↑ "Thomas Castellanos helps Boston College edge Holy Cross". Reuters. September 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Ex-UCF QB Thomas almost leads BC to upset of FSU". Orlando Sentinel. September 16, 2023.
- ↑ Bergamini, Jack (December 28, 2023). "Castellanos' Heroics Lift Eagles Over No. 17 SMU in Fenway Bowl". The Heights. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ↑ "College Football Offense Rushing All Conferences Stat Leaders, 2023 Season".
- ↑ Adelson, Andrea (November 12, 2024). "Boston College to start Grayson James at QB against SMU". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Report: Thomas Castellanos enters transfer portal".
- ↑ Gillenwater, Sam (December 11, 2024). "QB Thomas Castellanos makes portal commitment in the ACC". On3.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ↑ "Florida State Upends No. 8 Alabama". Florida State Seminoles Athletics. December 18, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
- ↑ Pete Nakos (August 26, 2026). "Former Florida State transfer QB Thomas Castellanos commits to Texas Tech". On3. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Veteran QB Castellanos commits to Texas Tech for 5th season". ESPN.com.
- ↑ Nakos, Pete (October 2, 2026). "Texas Tech QB Thomas Castellanos availability in question following Kentucky court ruling". On3. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ Wood, Andrew (October 2, 2026). "Tech QB Thomas Castellanos ruled ineligible for Saturday's game at Colorado". KCBD. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Thomas Castellanos College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ Jr, Peter Holland. "Former FSU football QB Tommy Castellanos gets NFL shot ... at WR". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ↑ "Former Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos open to return to college football". On3. July 31, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- ↑ Nakos, Pete (August 6, 2026). "Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos filing suit against NCAA". On3. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- Players of American football from Waycross, Georgia
- American football quarterbacks
- UCF Knights football players
- Boston College Eagles football players
- Florida State Seminoles football players
- 2003 births
- Hispanic and Latino American players of American football
- Ware County High School alumni
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- Texas Tech Red Raiders football players
