Mike Norvell addresses whether Thomas Castellanos could gain eligibility in 2026

QB Thomas Castellanos is three games into his senior season in his first year at Florida State. But, could he come back for a fifth year of eligibility overall and second season with the Seminoles?

Amidst ongoing questions about collegiate eligibility, Mike Norvell was asked at his press conference on Tuesday if Castellanos could come back for another season at FSU. Since nothing is official yet, Norvell said no, or at least not yet anyway, as their focus is on the present.

“No, I mean, there hasn’t been, there really hasn’t been a change in ruling as of yet. So, we’ll see how things, you know, progress,” said Norvell. “I mean, I know there is a lot of talk of, you know, five-for-five possibility. You know, that’s not been adopted.

“We’ll see. I mean, you know, at the end of the day? This is with every player. I mean, you enjoy today, you enjoy your focus on getting better and putting everything that you have into it.”

Again, this conversation comes based on the latest lawsuit against the NCAA. The class-action was filed on September 2nd in challenging the redshirt rule in college athletics, with the hope being it would allow for five full years of eligibility for players. Attorney Ryan Downton is part of the counsel in this case, as he is the same representation that led to the ruling on eligibility based on JUCO years involving Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia.

As it is now, Castellanos is in his fourth and final year in college football at Florida State. That’s after spending his first year at UCF followed by two years playing at Boston College. He did step away from the Eagles midseason last year, but had already played in eight games up in Chestnut Hill by the time he did in November before entering the portal in the winter window come December.

However, if this were to play out in the future, the ‘Noles would have no problem with another season for Castellanos in Tallahassee. He, in three games this season for an undefeated start at FSU, is 27-38 (71.1%) for 594 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 139 yards and three more scores, bringing him to 244.3 overall yards posted per game with the six total scores. That has helped power the Seminoles to having the top offense in the country, both scoring and total, to this point of the season at 58.0 points and 628.7 yards per game. It also currently has him as a fringe contender for the Heisman Trophy.

This could change later on for Castellanos by the end of this season pending what happens off of the field. Still, since it hasn’t yet, Norvell is focused on the here and now, especially with conference play opening for his team on the road on Friday night.

“You know, as the season progresses, you know, we’ll see if there’s anything that does change. But, right now, it’s just about today,” said Norvell.