Mike Norvell reveals Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos' eligibility waiver was denied, filing lawsuit

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell announced senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos‘ collegiate career is over after the NCAA denied his waiver for an extra season of collegiate eligibility, according to Warchant. That said, Castellanos has since hired legal counsel and is prepared to file a lawsuit against the NCAA if necessary, according to On3‘s Pete Nakos.

Earlier Friday, sports business attorney Darren Heitner — a legal expert on NIL who teaches about the topic at the University of Miami — announced he has been retained by Castellanos. He will represent the quarterback in “his fight for an additional year of eligibility after the NCAA denied his waiver request” in a social media post on X/Twitter.

Heitner explained Castellanos’ case as an overreach, suggesting the FSU quarterback’s true freshman season at UCF should qualify as a redshirt season because he only participated in four regular-season games in 2022. Castellanos’ fifth game — which is one more than the NCAA allows players to maintain a redshirt season — that year occurred in the AAC Championship game, which is now exempt from counting against a player’s redshirt status under current NCAA rules.

Tommy Castellanos’ attorney makes FSU QB’s case for additional season of eligibility

“The facts are straightforward. Tommy’s 2022 participation exceeded the 30% threshold by just one postseason game. It was a conference championship where he played only because of circumstances beyond his control, including teammate injuries and opt-outs,” Heitner wrote Friday on X/Twitter. “Just weeks after Tommy’s participation, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver allowing future players in his exact situation to maintain their redshirt status. Players today can participate in 4 regular-season games plus a conference championship without losing eligibility.

“Tommy played in a conference championship game and is being penalized for the timing. Considering the postseason exception that now exists, this case demands a fair resolution,” Heitner continued. “The NCAA should grant this appeal and extend the same consideration to Tommy that countless players have received since December 2022. Fairness matters. Doing the right thing matters.”

Castellanos, who transferred in from Boston College this past offseason, is coming off a roller-coaster first season at Florida State (5-7, 2-6 ACC), where he ranked fourth in the ACC with 3,317 yards of total offense and 24 total touchdowns under former UCF head coach-turned-FSU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. But after sparking the Seminoles to a shocking 31-17 win over Alabama in the season-opener amid a 3-0 start to the season, the wheels fell off as Castellanos and Florida State lost seven of their final nine games to miss bowl eligibility for the second straight season in Tallahassee.