The 2026-27 college football season is merely a week away, and a big development has come out of Texas. After the Texas Tech Raiders let go of quarterback Brendan Sorsby because of his alleged involvement in gambling, the team has finally found its QB for the season, and it comes with quite a story.
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Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos is heading to Lubbock in his fifth year of eligibility.
“Thomas Castellanos has committed to Texas Tech,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on X on Wednesday. “He’s a former quarterback at Florida State, BC, and UCF. He has 6,449 career passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 24 touchdowns.”
After his 2025 college season, Castellanos had officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he went undrafted and consequently attended rookie minicamps as a wide receiver with both the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. Because he only attended rookie minicamps and never signed an official NFL contract, he was able to challenge the NCAA’s eligibility rules in court.
A federal judge in Kentucky granted him a temporary restraining order/injunction, giving him a fifth year of eligibility. It allowed him to re-enter the transfer portal.
Until before his announcement, the SEC and Big Ten had passed rules banning players who have already tried out for the pros, but the Big 12 had not. This allowed Texas Tech to sign him late this August, right before the 2026 season kicks off. But surprisingly, the Big 12 made an announcement a few hours after his signing, banning pro players from returning to play college. Since Castellanos hadn’t signed a contract with any team, it remains to be seen whether he is classified as a ‘pro’ on the basis of his entering the Draft.
Castellanos landed in Texas Tech just over a week before their September 5 season opener against Abilene Christian. The team faced a chaotic, high-stakes quarterback crisis right before the 2026 season.
Texas Tech originally built its entire 2026 championship-contending roster around elite transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby. However, Sorsby was the focus of a massive NCAA sports gambling investigation after allegedly placing tens of thousands of dollars in wagers, including bets on his own former team.
Sorsby initially won a temporary injunction in June to stay eligible, but the backlash was severe. Rival Big 12 teams reportedly threatened to refuse to play Texas Tech if he took the field. Amid immense political and conference pressure, Sorsby dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA. He became ineligible again and completely left the team to focus on the 2027 NFL Draft. This left Texas Tech’s massive $5 million NIL investment completely evaporated right before fall camp.
With Sorsby entirely out of the picture, head coach Joey McGuire named Will Hammond the starting quarterback. While the coaching staff had high hopes for Hammond, his situation wasn’t looking good for the program. Hammond is returning to action after suffering a torn ACL last October. Entering a grueling Big 12 schedule with a starter coming off major knee reconstruction is a massive gamble.
Hammond has very limited college football experience, with just 166 career passing attempts. Behind him, Texas Tech had almost zero proven backup options if his knee didn’t hold up. So Castellanos’ presence comes as a big sigh of relief for Texas Tech.
Thomas Castellanos’ Eye-Catching College Football Resume
As a player, Thomas Castellanos is the ultimate high-reward dual-threat weapon. His playing style blends rare, elite athletic traits with an aggressive, sometimes erratic approach under center. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Castellanos possesses running-back-like vision, acceleration, and change-of-direction.
While at Boston College in 2023, he became the first player in program history to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. During his 2025 season at Florida State, he set the school’s single-season program records for rushing yards (557) and rushing touchdowns (9) by a quarterback.
His athletic profile is so unique that NFL franchises explicitly evaluated him as a wide receiver/offensive weapon during his rookie minicamps with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. While he is listed as a quarterback at Texas Tech, his willingness to block, run, or catch gives head coach Joey McGuire a Swiss Army knife to deploy in specialized packages.