Tommy Castellanos may be getting one more shot at college football, and the timing could hardly be stranger.
A Colorado judge’s injunction against the NCAA has opened the door for the former Florida State quarterback to return to the college game, giving members of the Class of 2022 an extra year of eligibility after the NCAA left that group out of its recent five-for-five eligibility guidelines. That ruling has put Castellanos back in the mix just as fall camp is about to get rolling around the country.
Castellanos spent 2025 running the Seminoles’ offense and piled up more than 3,300 yards of total offense with 24 touchdowns. He also helped Florida State knock off Alabama 31-17, a win that looked like it could set the tone for the season. Instead, the Seminoles finished 5-7, with four of those losses coming by eight points or fewer.
After declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, Castellanos went undrafted and drew no interest from any teams. Now he appears ready to take another swing at college football.
He is open to returning as a quarterback or as an athlete on offense, and several schools have already shown interest. The problem for any suitor is the calendar: most programs have already settled on a starter at quarterback, while others are heading into camp with an open battle for QB1.
Wherever Castellanos ends up, he’ll have roughly 15 practice sessions to get ready and absorb a playbook before games begin.
NCAA president Charlie Baker responded to the ruling in a statement to Daniel Hager of On3, saying, “Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by and without Congress, failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option - robbing the next class of young athletes of college scholarships,”
The season starts at the end of this month, and it’s anyone’s guess which school, if any, Castellanos will suit up for. One thing is clear: college football’s roster chaos isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
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