FSU QB Tommy Castellanos’ reported NIL payout dwarfed by Miami’s Carson Beck, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, others originally appeared on The Sporting News
Florida State once again hit the transfer portal hard in 2025, bringing in 23 new commitments.
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That effort earned the Seminoles the No. 6 transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports rankings. Among those additions is former Boston College quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who’s expected to be a difference-maker for this year’s squad.
Castellanos, like many others in this class, likely came at a price. Last year’s FSU NIL team budget was reportedly $12 million, per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Still, after a disastrous 2-10 finish last season, it appears the Seminoles may have pulled back a bit on spending. At least that’s how Castellanos’ signing appears on paper.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Castellanos is set to make over $800,000 in NIL compensation. That’s significantly less than some of the top transfer quarterbacks around the country this offseason.
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Miami’s Carson Beck, who transferred from Georgia, is reportedly making $4.3 million with the chance to earn up to $6 million. Washington State transfer John Mateer is expected to make close to $3 million. Even USC’s Miller Moss, now at Louisville, is projected to make more than $1.5 million.
Those higher paydays also align with rankings. Castellanos was slotted at No. 23 in On3’s transfer quarterback rankings, while Moss was No. 11 and the others ranked even higher.
Still, FSU head coach Mike Norvell clearly has high hopes for his new quarterback after last year’s portal addition, D.J. Uiagalelei, failed to pan out.
And Castellanos isn’t lacking confidence. In an interview with Nakos, he talked big — not just about FSU’s Week 1 matchup against Alabama, but also about the entire ACC.
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“I’m excited, man. People, I don’t know if they know, but you go back and watch every first game that I played in, we always start fast,” Castellanos said. “I dreamed of moments like this. I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
“And then the ACC. I feel like I tore the ACC up by my damn self for the last two years, and now I’m with a squad. I hope people don’t think that Florida State is going to be the same team it was last year because we have weapons. People can’t just sit back in zone coverage and watch me.”
Whether Castellanos lives up to his smack talk — or ends up proving he was worth even less than his $800,000 price tag — remains to be seen. Week 1 will say a lot.
