Friday has been a busy day for college football, and we’re still eight days away from kicking the season off in Week 0. First, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay of the Colorado District Court ruling from Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Wisne v. NCAA earlier this summer, which granted a class-wide injunction for Class of 2022 athletes to receive a fifth year of eligibility.
That decision deemed those athletes ineligible for the 2026-27 athletic year, pending an appeal. However, the stay does not apply to athletes who had filed individual lawsuits or were named as plaintiffs on larger eligibility suits and won their fifth year that way, including the 16 players who had signed NFL contracts this offseason and were granted a temporary restraining order this week to return to college football and enter the transfer portal.
Just hours after that ruling on Friday, which stripped away former FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ eligibility, he won it back with a lawsuit he filed on August 6, along with former Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell, for a fifth year and access to the transfer portal.
NEW: Former Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos and former Missouri forward Mark Mitchell have been granted a temporary injunction for a fifth year of eligibility, @TexasTrialGroup reports. https://t.co/nypFnz4qVx pic.twitter.com/GjXJfs8CG9
— On3 (@On3) August 21, 2026
So, Castellanos has gotten his wish. He can return to college football, and with Florida State already having Ashton Daniels entrenched as its starting quarterback, he can land at a fourth different school in five years.
There's no obvious portal fit for Tommy Castellanos this late in the preseason
Castellanos has made it clear that he’s willing to return to college football as either a quarterback or an athlete, likely taking snaps as a slot receiver, which he attempted to convert to this offseason to keep his NFL dream alive. The Seminoles don’t need him at either spot, but there are certainly programs that might, presumably ones he’s already been in contact with.
The biggest barrier for Castellanos, particularly if he prefers it or if a team wants him to play quarterback, is going to be learning the playbook. And there isn’t anywhere he can go with an easy on-board. Gus Malzahn, his offensive coordinator last year at FSU and head coach in 2022 at UCF, is retired. His offensive coordinator from that year, Chip Lindsey, is at Missouri, which has Austin Simmons in place. His OC from 2023 at Boston College, Steve Shimko, is on the Dallas Cowboys staff, and he didn’t mesh with the 2024 BC staff led by Bill O’Brien, who is still leading the way on Chestnut Hill.
A few weeks ago, Kansas, UNLV, and Duke, three programs with real QB question marks, appeared to be plausible fits. Now, it’s hard to imagine a Power 4 program, or even a school like UNLV with College Football Playoff hopes, taking a chance on adding a new QB this close to the start of the season.
However, at a lower level in the FBS, Castellanos' physical advantages as a dynamic athlete at the QB position could outweigh any concern about learning the playbook. Maybe New Mexico State, FSU’s Week 1 opponent, would take a flier on him after an uninspiring camp battle that has seen Trey Hedden hold off Adam Damante. It’s not likely, but it could be a fit.
This will likely move quickly now that Castellanos is in the portal. He wouldn’t have fought so hard to come back if he didn’t think there was a clear landing spot. But where that will be isn’t clear, especially considering the timing of this ruling.
He’ll likely be forced to step down a level, outside of the Power 4, and even with that, there’s a good chance he’s not ready for Week 1.
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