A pair of announcements on Tuesday night ensured one thing: Florida State’s quarterback room will look very different in 2026.
What’s next will be very, very interesting to watch.
Tommy Castellanos announced he would be declaring for the NFL Draft. Castellanos had been seeking an appeal to play a fifth season of college football in 2026, a request to be grandfathered in to an NCAA rule that extended eligibility to five games in a season if a player’s team participated in the postseason.
In 2022, Castellanos played in the AAC title game for Gus Malzahn and UCF - at the time his fifth game and burning his redshirt. But in 2024, the rule was amended and Castellanos was seeking a chance to play next fall. Castellanos lost his initial request for a fifth year, and It’s not immediately clear if the appeal was denied.
“To Florida State, thank you for changing my life. Being a Seminole has been an absolute dream come true,” Castellanos posted. “From the relationships built to the moments that will stay with me forever, I’m proud to graduate from this incredible university and I will carry the garnet and gold with me wherever I go.”
Castellanos completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,760 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2025 at FSU. He was also the Seminoles’ leading rusher at 557 yards and nine touchdowns.
Brock Glenn also announced that he would continue his football journey elsewhere. (Note that he can’t formally enter the portal until Jan. 2 and could choose to return to FSU, too.) Glenn completed just 43.4 percent of his passes for 895 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions in three seasons at FSU. After playing five games in 2023 and four games in 2025, he could have three years of eligibility remaining.
“I have loved every single second of my time at FSU. They say that college should be one of the most memorable and rewarding times of your life, and that has definitely been the case for me in Tallahassee,” Glenn posted. He thanked coaches and teammates and said, “I feel so lucky and blessed to be part of it.”
With Castellanos, Glenn and Jaylen King announcing they will depart this offseason, only Kevin Sperry remains as quarterbacks with experience from the 2025 team. Sperry completed 12 of 17 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in three games as a true freshman. Jaden O’Neal joins FSU after signing on Dec. 3 (the Osceola profiled him last week).
What’s next for FSU?
It’s anyone’s guess before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, but there’s no doubt that Mike Norvell and the coaches are in the market. The market for transfer quarterbacks is always competitive (read: expensive) with the cost going up through the years. Some national media have estimated the high-end quarterbacks will surpass $4 million for 2026. Many schools were paying quarterbacks $1 million or more in 2025.
The list of quarterbacks in the portal includes Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Drew Mestemaker (North Texas), Josh Hoover (TCU), Byrum Brown (USF), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), Rocco Becht (Iowa State), DJ Lagway (Florida) and Colton Joseph (Old Dominion). Sorsby could also enter the NFL Draft.
None of the quarterbacks have direct ties to coach Mike Norvell or FSU. Leavitt was coached by Kenny Dillingham, who has coached alongside Norvell at FSU and Memphis. Raiola was at Nebraska when Tony White was the defensive coordinator.
Joseph is an intriguing fit for FSU. At Old Dominion, he had 1,007 rushing yards and 2,624 passing yards but completed just 59.7 percent of his passes and threw 10 interceptions.
Some of the quarterbacks could rejoin their head coaches, who have found new jobs. Brown could follow Alex Golesh to Auburn. Mestemaker also could go to join Eric Morris at Oklahoma State. Lagway is an option for Billy Napier at James Madison. And Becht could follow Matt Campbell to Penn State.
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