Thomas Castellanos is set to lead the new era of Florida State’s offense under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell transformed his roster and coaching staff in the offseason. He brought in 38 new players and a cohort of new coaches, including Malzahn as offensive coordinator and play-caller.
Malzahn’s offense revolves around running the football and having a mobile, crafty quarterback that can put pressure on opposing defenses. The Seminoles identified Castellanos as the quarterback for Malzahn’s first season in Tallahassee.
And the Boston College transfer has one year to improve an FSU offense that labored in 2024.
The pair have a history as Malzahn while at UCF recruited Castellanos out of high school. Castellanos spent one season at UCF before transferring to Boston College, where he threw for 3,614 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding 1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
He fits with what Malzahn typically looks for in a quarterback, and the pair have the chance to bring some excitement to Doak in the fall.
Castellanos’s ability to run the key offensive production
The key to Malzahn’s offense is the ability of the quarterback to be a dynamic runner.
Castellanos is one of the best runners at the quarterback position in college football, and his ability to improvise in the pocket gives the Seminoles a threat.
Last season with DJ Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, opponents did not fear the Seminoles quarterback’s ability to run. While there were moments where that backfired, particularly with Glenn and Kromenhoek breaking a few big runs, it made the offense predictable.
That, in part, led to the Seminoles’ struggles last season, and it’s why Malzahn and Castellanos were brought in. In Malzahn’s offense, there is a heavy dose of options and designed quarterback runs that force opposing defenses to respect the threat of a running quarterback.
Castellanos is more than comfortable executing those plays. During his time at Boston College, Castellanos was most successful running outside the tackles, primarily to the left side of the offensive line according to data from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
His ability on the ground can create opportunities for the Seminoles’ running backs, especially with option plays. Castellanos forces defenses to respect the run, which can lead to overcommitment from the defense on options that allow for big gains from the running backs.
The data also sheds light on his scrambling ability, with his best rushing season in 2023 featuring 42 scrambles that accounted for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The ability to improvise on broken plays was missing from FSU last season, and Castellanos can escape the pocket in a similar fashion to Jordan Travis.
With Malzahn calling plays, expect to see the 2023 version of Castellanos more than the 2024 one that was made into a pro-style quarterback by Boston College’s Bill O’Brien.
Improvement as a passer can open up the playbook
While Castellanos’s rushing ability is the most obvious schematic fit for Malzahn, his improvement as a passer gives the Seminoles offense another layer.
Castellanos rushing yards suffered under O’Brien at Boston College, yet his passing production improved dramatically. In eight games he threw for 1,366 yards, 18 touchdowns and, most importantly, just five interceptions.
In 2023, Castellanos threw for over 2,248 yards and 15 touchdowns, however, he also threw 14 interceptions. Keeping turnovers down while also increasing his touchdowns in a smaller sample size of games shows the improvements made as a passer, even if the schematic fit with O’Brien wasn’t right.
With Malzahn’s use of screens, quick hit passes and play actions, Castellanos is a good fit. At Boston College, he found most of his success on short to medium-range passes, primarily on crossing or slant routes that attacked the middle of the field, according to PFF.
Castellanos has the ability to execute play-action passes well, and his rushing ability helps sell the play. According to PFF, he had a 54.8% completion rate on play actions in 2023, improving dramatically with a 69.6% completion rate with the concept in 2024.
Pairing Castellanos with receivers like Squirrel White and Duce Robinson alongside the talented young receivers in the program gives Malzahn a lot to work with.
Attacking the middle of the field with RPOs and quick-hit routes that can rack up yards after the catch would fit with what both Malzahn and Castellanos have done before, so it won’t be surprising to see something similar this year.
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Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football QB Thomas Castellanos a perfect match for Gus Malzahn
