Florida State football finished the 2024 campaign with a 2-10 record. The Seminoles were expected to win the conference and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Many individuals thought that the Seminoles would get their revenge after getting left out of the invitational for a one-loss Alabama team.
However, by the second game, the fan base knew that Florida State was in for a long season. One of the biggest factors was that the majority of the transfers that were acquired did not pan out well. Head football coach Mike Norvell, along with Ole Miss head football Lane Kiffin, were known as two of the best transfer portal evaluators.
However, it seemed like Clemson’s head football coach, Dabo Swinney, was a genius after he continued to win by primarily utilizing the recruiting ranks. I believe that there needed to be a good balance between the two. The Seminoles have added quarterback Thomas Castellanos, tight end Markeston Douglas, and linebacker Stefon Thompson.
QB Thomas Castellanos
This was a difficult decision to rank the dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos. This is one of the more polarizing pickups during the Mike Norvell era.
However, it makes a ton of sense given that he hired former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn to be the offensive coordinator. Norvell will no longer be calling plays and will be classified as the CEO.
Castellanos came up short versus Florida State during the 2023 season, but the Georgia native dominated the Seminoles on the road in 2024. He finished this season with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. Castellanos did not have the same rushing success paired with Bill O’Brien in Year 1.
One worrisome thing was the fact that he left his team after he was benched. However, it made sense. Castellanos did not fit O’Brien’s pro-style system. He does fit Malzahn’s spread option type of offense that involves a downhill rushing attack.
He was previously at UCF, and Malzahn recruited him there. As a result, he is familiar with the quarterback. If Castellanos can deliver proper accuracy on the short to intermediate passes, this has the potential to be an A-grade acquisition.
TE Markeston Douglas
Florida State got the band back together as former Florida State tight end Markeston “Biscuit” Douglas returned to the Seminoles after a one-year stint with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils are currently in the College Football Playoff for the first time under first-year head football coach Kenny Dillingham, who was formerly the offensive coordinator at Florida State. I originally thought it was going to be a good match for Douglas to re-unite with Dillingham. However, he only had one reception this year with Arizona State.
The tight end room has Lnaden Thomas, Amaree Williams, and four-star signee Chase Loftin. However, Williams will be working at defensive end this offseason as well.
I don’t mind the depth of the position from someone who has already been in the program before. Think about how Omarion Cooper joined Florida State in 2024. Overall, I don’t think it moves the needle. Maybe he can be an effective blocker in short-yardage and goal-line situations. This is why I gave it a C grade.
LB Stefon Thompson
Florida State added a commitment today from linebacker Stefon Thompson. This will be his final season as he played at Syracuse between 2020-2023. Then he played his 2024 season with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
During his time with the Orange, he recorded 172 tackles (21 for loss) and 10.5 sacks. However, with Nebraska, he only had 27 tackles. This was a drop off from what the Cornhuskers were expecting from him.
The Seminoles had him on a visit in January of this year and didn’t decide to pursue as he picked Nebraska. However, this time around, it was a bit different. Florida State hired former Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White, who utilizes the 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
It helps that Thompson knows the scheme and has played a season in the scheme. However, it doesn’t look like he is much different than the options that they already have on the roster, such as Justin Cryer, Omar Graham Jr., and Blake Nichelson. That is why I gave it a C+ grade.
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