Just a Flesh Wound: Florida State Falls to Virginia in Double Overtime Thriller
UCF improved to 3-0 in stunning fashion, crushing UNC 34-9 and giving Bill Belichick a humbling college football lesson. Behind
Fans across the nation have questions about their team heading into the 2025 college football season, but perhaps nowhere more than Tallahassee where fans are both excited and apprehensive about the upcoming Florida State season. The team is just two years removed from an undefeated regular season and ACC title, but wilted to a 2-10 record that has die-hards and the nation questioning Head Coach Mike Norvell.
One place where the Seminoles will begin with optimism is at the quarterback position where Thomas Castellanos transfers in after two seasons at Boston College. Orlando may remember him from UCF where he showed promise as a true freshman in 2022. Castellanos has a good arm and excellent running ability, but decision making was the reason he was benched by Coach Bill O’Brien at Boston College, and ultimately caused him to leave the team mid-season as a transfer. Poised for a big senior season, Castellano has already made waves in Tallahassee when he challenged the opening opponent Alabama, telling On 3’s Pete Nakos “I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
Bravado aside, he will need his teammates to step up, so in come the transfers. This will be a recurring theme for the Seminoles. At receiver, Squirrel White comes from Tennessee where he lit up the scoreboard in Josh Heupel’s high paced offense, and Deuce Spann comes to the Noles from Pitt. On the offensive line, there are 4 new transfer starters joining returning guard Richie Leonard, but it is a very experienced group with more than 100 starts combined.
On the defensive side, questions abound. Houston transfer cornerback Jeremiah Wilson hopes to shore up a secondary that finished 86th in the nation in passing yards allowed, and returning lineman Darrell Jackson hopes to lead up front.
In his 4th season, Mike Norvell brought in new coordinators on both offense and defense to reverse the team’s fortunes. Gus Mahlzan comes to the offensive side of the ball after resigning as the Head Coach at UCF. He’s already worked with quarterback Thomas Castellano in the past and is known for the quarterback running game. New defensive coordinator Tony White comes in from Nebraska and will implement a 3-3-5 system he hopes will help the Seminoles match up more evenly with multiple wide receiver sets.
The schedule is daunting for FSU, starting at home with Alabama. They also have Clemson, Miami, and Florida on the schedule with 3 of their final 4 games on the road. FSU fans should expect better than last year’s 2-10 finish, but a whole set of unanswered questions makes it too difficult to predict a final record. If the transfers gel the way they did in 2023, competing for a conference championship is possible. If the transfers gel the way they did in 2024, Mike Norvell could be on his way out the door.
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UCF improved to 3-0 in stunning fashion, crushing UNC 34-9 and giving Bill Belichick a humbling college football lesson. Behind
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UCF improved to 3-0 in stunning fashion, crushing UNC 34-9 and giving Bill Belichick a humbling college football lesson. Behind
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