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Florida State football's Thomas Castellanos refused to back down from his Alabama trash talk. The former Boston College standout is coming into Tallahassee looking to revive this historic program, which is coming off a dismal 2024 season. Head coach Mike Norvell was steadily rebuilding the Seminoles into a contender, culminating in a 2023 regular season that saw them go undefeated and win the ACC Championship.
Unfortunately, the following year was a giant step in the wrong direction. Florida State football went 2-10 overall and won just one game in its conference. It all started in Week 1 when the preseason No. 10 team in the country suffered a surprising defeat to unranked Georgia Tech in Ireland. From there, the negative momentum just continued to pile on for the Seminoles, who struggled mightily at quarterback last year. Castellanos is looking to bring stability back under center for this program, and what better way to do it than with a statement win over Alabama.
The Crimson Tide are also coming off a disappointing season by their standards and entering 2025 with firm College Football Playoff-or-bust expectations. The two traditional powerhouses will meet in Doak Campbell Stadium in front of a surely raucous crowd in Week 1. Castellanos is surely fired up for this matchup and has certainly talked the talk in the buildup. The Miami native was asked during ACC Media Days if he had any regrets over his past statements about the Crimson Tide and explained why he didn't, as well as his intention behind this trash talk.
“We stand on what I said. I said what I said, and we stand on that. I don't mean no disrespect to none of those guys at Alabama or anything like that. I have confidence in my guys and the work we've been putting in and preparing, and the preparation we've been putting together. That's all that was. No disrespect to those guys, but we stand on what I said…Them boys (Florida State football) are coming off 2-10; I just wanted to instill some confidence. I'm trying to get my boys ready to go. I'm trying to make it the biggest stage.”
It's safe to say Castellanos' comments on Alabama will age either very well or very poorly on August 30. That being said, regardless of what happens, the dynamic quarterback is trying to change the culture in Tallahassee, which certainly took a hit in 2024. Norvell now has a lot of pressure going into this season, and his quarterback is surely embracing some of that now. The Seminoles do not have an easy schedule, with trips to Clemson and Florida later on, as well as a home game against Miami. However, this team will still surely have the talent to get over .500 again. And anything below that record would surely be considered another failed season under Norvell, who was doing so well with Florida State football up until last season.
