FSU quarterback Thomas Castellanos added some juice to the 2025 season opener against Alabama when he said he didn't think they were the same as when Nick Saban was the head coach.
His comments got the attention of some Alabama players and new head coach Kalen Deboer immediately, but two former Alabama players finally spoke on the subject.
Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and running back Trent Richardson appeared on the Alabama Podcast called "The Dynasty" a few days ago. It was hilarious to listen to because neither understood they were proving the point Thomas Castellanos was making.
They start talking about it shortly after the 1:30 mark and immediately reference how bad FSU was in 2024 and the situation with Castellanos at Boston College, not knowing Bill O'Brien didn't want him to use his greatest asset (his legs).
They immediately start talking about how things were when THEY were at Alabama over a decade ago when Nick Saban was the head coach. All they could do was reference how good they were back then and the type of players they had, etc.
However, they fail to mention Alabama lost FOUR games last year, two against teams that barely made a bowl. Alabama will have a new quarterback under center with very little game experience in a hostile environment. FSU opened as a +11.5 betting underdog, but Vanderbilt (+22.5) and Oklahoma +(14.5) were even bigger underdogs who upset the Crimson Tide last year.
Yes, that type of stuff didn't happen when they were playing for Nick Saban, but that's the entire point Thomas Castellanos is pointing out.
FSU will have more talent than the Vanderbilt team who beat Alabama last year and are comparable to what Oklahoma had. Crazy things usually happen in week one games! I'm not saying FSU will pull the upset, but just as you believe Thomas Castellanos has no right to talk, Alabama wasn't the same Alabama last year.