Something’s not right in Tallahassee. And the silence coming from Florida State’s coaching staff is deafening. When Tommy Castellanos took that brutal targeting hit from Stanford safety Mitch Leigber late in the fourth quarter on October 18, everyone watching saw what happened. His head bounced off the turf after getting drilled while trying to slide, and he lay motionless for over a minute before trainers got to him. 

Leigber got ejected immediately, and Tommy Castellanos walked off under his own power but never returned. And FSU went on to lose 20-13 in their fourth straight defeat. But here’s where things get weird. Four days later, nobody at Florida State will tell anyone what’s actually wrong with their starting quarterback. And the way the coaching staff is playing hot potato with this question feels like they’re hiding something.​

On October 21, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn met with reporters and immediately punted when asked about Castellanos’ status. “Obviously, it was a tough one. I’ll let Mike talk about details and all that, but we’re going to heal him up this week,” Malzahn said, dodging the question. “That’s really our number one goal from his standpoint—get his body healed up and get ready to finish the next five regular season games.” Fine, okay, he’s deferring to his head coach, that makes sense, right? 

Except then Mike Norvell held his weekly press conference on Wednesday, October 22, and gave absolutely zero update on Tommy Castellanos either. Logan B. Robinson, who covers FSU, tweeted that “there was no update on starting QB Tommy Castellanos” during Mike Norvell’s presser, which means both coaches are now playing the deflection game. When your offensive coordinator says the head coach will address it, and then the head coach says nothing at all, that’s when alarm bells start going off.​​

The hit itself was as scary as college football gets. Castellanos had just scrambled 35 yards deep into Stanford territory with under three minutes left. He was trying to lead FSU on a game-tying drive. He started his slide to protect himself and secure the first down, which is exactly what quarterbacks are coached to do. But Leigber came flying in with a headshot anyway. 

The impact sent Castellanos’ head whipping back into the turf, and he immediately went still. Medical staff rushed onto the field, and after what felt like forever, he finally stood up and walked into the medical tent before disappearing into the locker room. True freshman Kevin Sperry took over but couldn’t complete the comeback. And FSU’s losing streak hit four games for the second time in as many years. 

What makes this whole situation even more concerning is that FSU Wire reported on October 21 that Castellanos is “reportedly in the concussion protocol,” which would explain why both coaches are being so tight-lipped. But the coordinated silence between Malzahn and Mike Norvell feels less like following protocol and more like they’re genuinely worried about what they’re dealing with. 

The coaching staff isn’t even talking anymore

And if the evasiveness around Tommy Castellanos’ injury wasn’t troubling enough, the cracks between Gus Malzahn and Mike Norvell are starting to show in ways that should terrify Florida State fans. When reporters asked Malzahn on October 21 if he’s checked in with his head coach amid this four-game tailspin, the offensive coordinator gave a cold answer, “No, I mean, I’m the offensive coordinator. I’m focused on that.”

These are two guys who worked together at Tulsa back in 2007-08. They have a shared history and were supposed to be the dream team that would restore FSU to glory after Mike Norvell lured Malzahn away from his UCF head coaching job last November. Back in September, Norvell was gushing about how Malzahn is “a machine” and how working with him is “a joy.” But four straight losses have a way of killing joy real quick. 

The timing couldn’t be worse for either of them, because athletic director Michael Alford has already started warming up the “comprehensive review” talk that usually means ‘start updating your resume.’ Alford tried to sound supportive on Monday with his statement expressing “deep disappointment” but also “full commitment” to helping Norvell rebound.

But those words felt like a stay of execution rather than a vote of confidence. And now Castellanos is potentially stuck in concussion protocol. Malzahn is basically saying he’s not interested in helping Norvell through this storm. So, you’ve got a coaching staff that’s not communicating, a quarterback who might not play again this season, and a fan base that’s ready to burn it all down.