Boston College Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos is one of the most fun players to watch in all of college football. He doesn’t have great size or a typical throwing motion, but Castellanos isn’t afraid to take a deep shot or fight for tough yards as a runner.
But before Castellanos was carving up defenses at Boston College, he was a rare athlete in south Georgia.
Thomas Castellanos: A True Dual-Threat in High School
Castellanos was a two-way player and rare athlete at Ware County High School in Waycross, Ga.
Castellanos played both ways as a defensive back and quarterback. While he was solid on defense, it was obvious that his future was at quarterback.
Castellanos, a four-year starter, had over 10,000 yards of total offense during his high school career. As a freshman, he was inconsistent and had nearly twice as many rushing attempts as passing attempts, but he still threw for 11 touchdowns and added 14 more on the ground.
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That gave him the confidence to have a strong sophomore year in 2019, though he only completed 69 passes in 12 games. As a junior, though, he took a huge step forward as a passer, averaging 240 yards a game through the air with 23 touchdowns and just six picks. For the second year in a row, Castellanos ran for over 900 yards, adding 24 rushing touchdowns to his totals.
He started to generate some recruiting buzz after his junior year and committed early to UCF and current Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne, who was UCF’s co-offensive coordinator in 2021. Kinne moved on, but Castellanos stayed committed and was ranked as a three-star recruit in the 2022 class.
As a senior, Castellanos had over 3,500 total yards and 38 total touchdowns, capping off an incredible high school career. He spent his freshman year at UCF, appearing in five games, but entered the transfer portal the next offseason.
Castellanos Thrives at Second College Stop
Castellanos landed at Boston College, winning the starting job as a sophomore in 2023. While he was solid as a passer, he thrived as a runner, finishing third in the ACC with 1,113 rushing yards.
Castellanos was the first Boston College quarterback and fifth in the ACC in the last 30 years to have over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
Watching Castellanos was a roller coaster, as he had extreme highs and lows. He had 383 total yards against Georgia Tech but also threw seven picks over his last four games of the season.
Many consider Castellanos a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate this year. He’s a true dual-threat QB who could put Boston College in contention for a bowl in 2024.
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