FSU football: 6 major differences between 2025 and last year's team

Had a reader to email ask to explain the difference between now and then since everyone was so high on last year's team
Florida v Florida State
Florida v Florida State | Don Juan Moore/GettyImages
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QB Fits The Offense

I understand what FSU was trying to do with DJ Uiagalelei. However, he never seemed to fit in. I think Uiagalelei was more concerned with wanting to be liked instead of trying to win. His demeanor didn’t give off leader vibes, and his play certainly didn’t command respect from his teammates.

The fact that Thomas Castellanos played for a year in Gus Malzahn’s offense before transferring to Boston College is a big deal. Castellanos has some natural leadership qualities and seems to understand that he had to build the trust of his teammates.

Gus Malzhan knows the strengths and weaknesses of Castellanos much better than FSU knew with Uiagalelei, and will put him in better positions to succeed. That’s where the familiarity of the offense comes into play.

The skillset of Castellanos provides a larger margin for error on offense because he can be elite as a runner, much like Jordan Travis was in his early years at FSU. FSU didn’t have that option at quarterback last year.

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