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Thomas Castellanos has not been shy about speaking his mind as he gears up for his first season as the quarterback at Florida State. His time with Boston College came to a fairly messy end last season, and Eagles coach Bill O’Brien issued a response after his former starter claimed the narrative surrounding his exit didn’t reflect what actually went down.
The football program at Boston College has spent close to two decades chasing the high of the Matt Ryan Era, and in 2023, the Eagles debuted one of the best quarterbacks they’ve had since his departure after landing UCF transfer Thomas Castellanos.
The dual-threat led BC to a 7-6 record while passing for 2,248 yards and adding another 1,114 on the ground, and Eagles fans who’ve become accustomed to mediocrity were hoping he’d improve on that performance during his second year in Chestnut Hill.
That did not end up being the case, as Castellanos struggled to get things clicking after Bill O’Brien took the reins in the wake of Jeff Halfley’s fairly abrupt departure in the offseason.
His lackluster passing became an even bigger issue thanks to his inability to get things done with his legs (although it would be fair to argue his style of play didn’t mesh with O’Brien’s pro-style offense), and Grayson James was ultimately named the starter after he was called upon in the second half of BC’s showdown with Syracuse in November and helmed a comeback that led to the Eagles improving to 5-4.
All evidence suggests that development did not sit well with Castellanos, who immediately announced he was planning to enter the transfer portal and quit the team before the season came to an end—a decision that did not sit well with O’Brien based on what he had to say in the wake of his premature departure.
Castellanos subsequently took his talents to Florida State, and we’ve been treated to the latest round of drama he’s been responsible for since arriving in Tallahassee after he tried to counter the prevailing narrative about his exit.
BC coach Bill O’Brien issued a response after Thomas Castellanos said he lied about the circumstances of his departure
Castellanos has not been afraid to speak his mind since linking up with FSU, as he guaranteed there’s going to be a target on his back when the Seminoles open up the season against Alabama thanks to the bulletin board material he’s provided the Crimson Tide with ahead of that matchup.
He also threw some shade at his former team last month and turned his attention back to O’Brien during a recent interview with ESPN, saying:
“Whatever he said or is out there—’he got benched’ or ‘he quit—that’s not true. Only the people in that room know what went down, legally and personally, know the true story.”
However, he conveniently declined to elaborate on what actually transpired, and O’Brien made it pretty clear he didn’t agree with that assessment while responding to the claim, noting:
“Tommy can think what he wants. We supported the hell out of Tommy. We coached Tommy, we taught Tommy. I wish him the best. We went with Grayson. We told [Tommy], ‘The team needs you. Come back and compete and win your job back.’
It’s called life — L-I-F-E. Deal with adversity. He’s fine. He’s the starting QB at Florida State. It worked out well. I wish him the best.”
It would be nice to see the two sides settle this war of words on the gridiron, but BC and FSU are unfortunately not slated to face off this season.