Former Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos suing NCAA in hopes to play in 2026
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Weeks away from the beginning of the 2026 college football season, Thomas Castellanos has not given up hope of playing. He’s a long way, though, from taking a snap.
Last year, Castellanos played his senior season at Florida State. Mike Norvell’s Seminoles are preparing for Ashton Daniels to lead the offense in 2026.
Castellanos is seeking to find a new team. Right now, however, he is unable to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The NCAA closed the loophole of bypassing the portal by withdrawing from one school and enrolling at a new school, meaning Castellanos is currently unable to join another Division I program.
In hopes of being able to transfer, Castellanos has filed a suit against the NCAA. Castellanos says a Colorado judge’s recent decision applying the 5-in-5 policy to Class of 2022 athletes, making them eligible for 2026-27 (the decision is being appealed by the NCAA). The Colorado ruling, however, did not open the portal, so Castellanos needs an injunction.
As expected, athletes who were granted another season of eligibility by the Wisne preliminary injunction (Colorado class action) are now filing their own lawsuits against the NCAA to ensure they aren’t blocked from playing by NCAA “ghost transfer” rules. https://t.co/95H9Qon5Jv pic.twitter.com/GRagNLeLGw
— Mit Winter (@WinterSportsLaw) August 6, 2026
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Castellanos played in 38 games over 4 seasons at UCF (2022), Boston College (2023-24) and FSU (2025), making 32 starts. He threw for 6,449 yards, 48 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,984 yards and 24 scores.
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
