Florida State football has had four losing seasons in six years under head football coach Mike Norvell, so maybe Seminole fans might have to calm down on the high expectations. However, the truth of the matter is that this is a proud program in Florida State that has an expectation of competing for conference and national championships.
As we saw in 2025, the Seminoles defeated Alabama, who is playing Oklahoma this week in the College Football Playoff. Call it a fluke, but that Florida State squad is capable of getting the job done against national powerhouses. This is a university that has had undefeated regular seasons by three different head football coaches.
The Seminoles made the move to obtain former UCF and Boston College quarterback transfer Thomas Castellanos in the portal because of the pre-existing relationship with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and Norvell thought it would be a nice fit in Tallahassee.
This isn't bad-mouthing Castellanos because we knew in the preseason that he had limitations as a passer that had to be masked by his ability to utilize his legs. Unfortunately, that was not the case for him with the Seminoles, as they fell to a 5-7 record.
Castellanos doesn't have any eligibility remaining, and he is trying to get the NCAA involved for another year, but Florida State cannot wait forever on this and have to move forward. Some fans think that redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry, but there is a lot of pressure on the program to win now with head football coach Mike Norvell being retained for the 2026 season.
However, one option to monitor is Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby. He announced on Monday that he plans to enter the transfer portal.
BREAKING: Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 15, 2025
In his career he’s totaled 7,208 Passing Yards and 60 TDs
Added 1,305 yards and 22 TDs on the groundhttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/HeikdJSqF5
Obviously, Indiana is focused on winning the College Football Playoff with Heisman-Trophy winning signal-caller Fernando Mendoza, but a reunion to the Hoosiers could make sense.
However, if Sorsby is willing to go to a place where he has opportunity, then Florida State better be willing to pay top dollar for him. He could go to an experienced play-caller in Gus Malzahn that knows how to get the most of his quarterbacks with their dual-threat abilities.
Overall, the Cincinnati quarterback could turn the Seminoles from a 7-win team in 2026 to a serious ACC Championship contender. Just ask the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes, their outlook has been turned around by just adding Cam Ward and Carson Beck in recent years.