Thomas Castellanos meant "no disrespect" to the Crimson Tide but still believes what he said about Alabama being unable to stop him.
Thomas Castellanos is standing firm.
The Florida State quarterback didn't back down from his comments about Alabama, who the Seminoles will face in the 2025 season opener. In June, Castellanos told On3 he dreamed of playing against the Crimson Tide and "they don’t have Nick Saban to save them.
"I just don’t see them stopping me.”
Castellanos was asked about his trash talk at 2025 ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, and he said while he meant no disrespect to Florida State's opponent, his comments were based on the belief the coaching staff has the team "ready to work and ready to go play."
"We stand on what I said," Castellanos said. "But there's no disrespect between that team or anything like that. It's just the confidence that I have in my teammates and the way we've been preparing and putting this preparation together this off-season, I just feel confident in the guys and the work that we've been putting in."
The comments from Castellanos have certainly ruffled feathers. At the SEC media days, Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said he "won't forget what (Castellanos) said" and "all disrespect will be addressed accordingly." Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor said the team is "not really giving into whatever anybody else is saying."
Castellanos brings confidence to a team that is looking for a massive rebound following the dismal 2-10 season in 2024, when the Seminoles were picked to repeat as conference champions in the preseason. The signal-caller is also looking for his own comeback after spending the past two seasons at Boston College. He started 12 games for the Eagles in 2023 and led the team to a win in the Fenway Bowl. Last season, Boston College to a 4-1 start before he was injured and eventually benched, leading to him leaving the team before the season concluded.
It's certainly an edge head coach Mike Norvell appreciates, as he said he wants a team that is "pissed off" to give their best every day.
"When you come to Florida State, you'd better embrace the highest of expectations, because it's what I have, it's what our program has," Norvell said. "There is a standard of what it needs to look like, and I've got to uphold it and so does everybody else a part of our team − players, coaches, every single one of us."
The Seminoles will host the Crimson Tide on Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Contributing: Colin Gay, Tuscaloosa News
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida State's Thomas Castellanos defends Alabama trash talk
Category: General Sports
