National analyst responds to Thomas Castellanos over his Bama comments

Earlier this week, FSU quarterback Thomas Castellanos decided to fire a few tomahawks at Alabama (and several others) in anticipation of their Week 1 clash on Aug. 30. In the wide-ranging interview with Pete Nakos of On3.com, the quarterback boasted about his teammates, his self-proclaimed dominance over the rest of the ACC and the clashes he had with Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien.

Not a surprise there's been plenty of blowback from fans, the media and even Castellanos' former teammates at Boston College, who suggested he might be slightly exaggerating.

But Castellanos saved his most biting comment for Alabama by saying that the Crimson Tide no longer had Nick Saban to 'save' them. While we've yet to hear a response from the second-year Alabama coach, On3 columnist Ari Wasserman said that Week1 is a perfect chance for DeBoer to make Alabama scary again.

Thomas Castellanos still has people talking over his Alabama comments

"Alabama isn’t scaring people anymore and restoring that reality should be the chief goal for second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer," Wasserman wrote. "People think Alabama is down? People are opening their mouths? Go beat the crap out of them this fall and remind the world that Alabama is still a premier program, one that will stuff you in a locker if you start feeling too good about yourself."

There probably isn't a tougher job in sports than being the man that replaces THE MAN. Jerod Mayo lasted one season as Bill Belichick's replacement with the New England Patriots. Luke Fickell went 6-7 as an interim head coach at Ohio State in 2011 after Jim Tressel was fired. One of the few recent success stories would be Jimbo Fisher going 83-23 at FSU following Bobby Bowden's historic tenure.

Alabama went 9-4 in DeBoer's first season. The Crimson Tide weren't necessarily bad, but they were far from scary. They lost to Vanderbilt, got absolutely mollywhopped by a mediocre Oklahoma team and were smothered by Michigan in the Outback Bowl. It's all been enough to rankle Alabama fans that miss the days of Saban-led squads crushing their opponents.

It's equally safe to say that FSU fans miss the days of Seminole teams stomping through their opposition with speed, power and efficiency. This is what makes the Week 1 game so interesting, both sides have plenty to prove. Can DeBoer make Alabama scary again? Can Castellanos help FSU return to the form it showed in 2022 and 2023? Will the loser of this game immediately jump on to the hot seat?

We'll get answers on the afternoon of Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Can't wait.