It has been anything but dull in Tallahassee of late. Following the rush of an ACC title and the bitter disappointment of a snub from the College Football Playoff in 2023, Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles fell hard in 2024, dropping to a staggering 2-10 mark, the biggest single-season free fall in the AP poll era. Norvell himself conceded he lost his focus, let his emotions overrule him, and watched his team’s chemistry and leadership dissolve when it most counted. So, what’s brewing now?

A full-bore reset. Norvell rebuilt his staff, hiring Gus Malzahn, yes, the same individual who nearly stole a national championship from FSU in 2013- as the offensive coordinator, and Tony White to juice the defense. There have been some injuries, but the coaching staff is grinding hard, and the locker room is filled with new faces and fresh energy.

On the subject of fresh faces, let’s discuss quarterbacks because that’s where things get particularly intriguing. Meet Thomas “Tommy” Castellanos, the electric transfer from Boston College (via UCF), who’s now rocking garnet and gold and turning heads as FSU’s new QB1. Castellanos is not some name on the roster; he’s already creating buzz, as he won the Parrish Owens Heart of a Nole Award for his leadership and work ethic this spring. With his dual-threat option and chip on his shoulder, Castellanos could be just what Norvell’s offense needs to put the Seminoles back on the map and give fans something to hope for again.

“I’ve been very excited about Tommy and what he’s brought into the program,” says Mike Norvell in a recent media interaction at the ACC’s spring meetings. Mike just couldn’t stop talking about Thomas Castellanos. Before arriving at FSU, he had 33 touchdown passes and 3,614 passing yards at Boston College, along with 1,307 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs in two seasons. “You can watch him over the last few years, and you see the ability, I mean, as a passer, as a runner, but what you don’t see and what you don’t feel just watching a guy on TV is the impact within a room,” Mike Norvell says.

In all honesty, it was the sort of compliment that makes you believe FSU could quite possibly have something cooking at quarterback. Norvell’s been candid about the growing pains; he’s not sugarcoating that Castellanos is still a rookie in Tallahassee, but the coach made one thing clear: Tommy has the ‘it’ factor. Mike Norvell couldn’t stop but ramble, “My favorite quality of his is that he ignites a football; he ignites not just one side of the ball offensively or defensively.” He added, “He’s not just sitting there and talking about it. He’s putting in the work and trying to uphold the standard of what we want this team to be, and so that’s one of the things I’ve been most impressed with.” 

Norvell noted that Castellanos is working diligently to “own the football,” in that he’s not just throwing it everywhere but truly comprehending the offense, reading properly, and picking up on every rep, be it good or bad. The coach also identified some missteps and dissected a couple of misplays in practice, one tipped pass that a defender intercepted and another long shot that a DB plucked, but all these are “teaching moments,” right? Emphasizing that Castellanos is building an actual internal compass for the position. He’s not freelancing; he’s learning when to be aggressive and when to be cautious, which is what Mike Norvell needs to see out of a leader at quarterback.

Danny Kanell’s take on FSU’s crisis

Going back to all the optimism and excitement over Thomas Castellanos, you can’t help but notice storm clouds gathering in, Particularly if you’ve been listening to Danny Kanell recently. Kanell, a past FSU quarterback and among the most outspoken alumni, has been ringing the alarm bell, and you can’t blame him. “How I feel about their roster—I don’t know,” says Kanell on Crain and Co. “And I believe that lots of folks are right there with him. How good is this roster? How good could it possibly be—or, as it might seem in some fans’ minds, how bad could it be? It depends on one’s outlook.” The man bleeds garnet and gold, but even he concedes he’s experiencing something akin to desperation about where things are going.

The biggest worry is that, following the huge drop-off in 2024, the team simply doesn’t possess the depth or established talent it requires to play at the level fans demand. Following last season’s collapse, the transfer portal essentially became a revolving door for FSU. Like Castellanos himself at QB. FSU also picked up Malik Benson, Alabama’s speedy wide receiver, who’s going to add some real juice to the offense. He’s got the SEC pedigree and can be a game-changer if he hits it off with Castellanos. Defensively, FSU picked up Marvin Jones Jr., a name of legacy (his father was a Seminole legend), who transferred from Georgia.

And then there’s Jordan Travis, a bona fide FSU legend. “With Jordan Travis just announcing he’s retiring from the sport of football, it kind of brought up a discussion of what would’ve happened had he not gotten hurt? I think they would have gotten in. I think they potentially could have challenged for a national championship.” Travis was the team’s heart and soul, guiding them to a 13-0 mark in 2023 before a vicious leg injury against North Alabama brought an end to his collegiate career.

And another huge reason? The transfer portal. FSU’s been pressing hard, but Kanell says the reliance on transfers is always a risk. You could wind up with a couple of stars, sure, but you risk killing the continuity and culture that drive great teams. And with Mike Norvell’s $63 million contract looming over the whole thing, the stakes are astronomically high.