FAMILIARITY WITH QB THOMAS CASTELLANOS
I have heard this at nausea at this point: "Florida State landed Boston College's backup quarterback, and the coaching staff is putting all of their trust in him."
I understand the fear of the fanbase after the bad taste of junior signal-caller Thomas Castellanos entering the transfer portal before the end of the season after being benched. Castellanos did not seem comfortable as he struggled under first-year head football coach Bill O'Brien.
O'Brien forced Castellanos to fit into a more pro-style system that does not use his dual-threat ability, as he had 1,113 rushing yards in 2023 with his previous head coach, Jeff Hafley (defensive coordinator with the Packers now). Meanwhile, he had 194 rushing yards in 2024 under O'Brien, which was a huge drop-off.
Even though Castellanos played sparingly under Malzahn in 2022 as a younger, the Florida State offensive coordinator is familiar with his skill set and wants to be free in the offense. If the signal-caller can ensure his accuracy with short to intermediate passes, then I believe Castellanos can be comfortable in Malzahn's offense.