By Scott Dochterman, Joe Rexrode and Nick Baumgardner
Tommy Castellanos’ bravado wasn’t just empty boasts after all.
The Florida State quarterback, who infamously said this summer that Alabama didn’t “have Nick Saban to save them” in Saturday’s season-opening matchup, backed up his talk in the Seminoles’ dominant 31-17 win against the No. 8 Crimson Tide in Tallahassee, Fla.
As important as Castellanos’ steady exploits — 152 yards passing, 78 yards rushing — were in the upset, Florida State coach Mike Norvell was responsible for the game’s biggest play. With a 24-17 lead inside of 10 minutes and facing fourth-and-1 at his own 34, Norvell chose to go for the first down. Running back Roydell Williams burst up the middle, and ran over linebacker Deontae Lawson for four yards.
That gutsy call propelled the Seminoles on a game-clinching drive, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuk.
Our 4⃣th rushing TD today belongs to @G27football 😤#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/BWtEWqe6jZ
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 30, 2025
It was a shocking victory for Florida State, which plummeted to 2-10 last year after a 13-1 season in 2023.
It was an equally shocking loss for Alabama, which hadn’t lost a season opener since falling to UCLA in 2001 and was hoping for a better start in Kalen DeBoer’s second season after missing the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Florida State won the game along the line of scrimmage, holding Alabama to less than 100 yards rushing while powering past the Tide for more than 200. Our takeaways:
Does Florida State have a QB?
When Castellanos made those comments to On3, also saying he didn’t see the Crimson Tide “stopping me,” it figured to end as overzealous trash talk gone bad. It figured to be rebutted emphatically by Alabama. It was noticed, with Lawson saying at SEC media days: “All disrespect will be addressed accordingly.”
But Castellanos, who transferred to FSU from Boston College, backed it up all the way. After a rough finish to his 2024 season at BC — leaving the team late in the season and later getting into a public dispute with coach Bill O’Brien about whether he quit the team or not — Castellanos no longer goes by “Thomas” and no longer has to worry about that spat. He looked well-utilized in his debut in the creative rushing offense of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who originally recruited him to UCF.
This might be a perfect fit, and a dangerous one for the rest of the ACC. — Rexrode
Felt like old times tonight!! 🍢
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) August 30, 2025
DeBoer continues a hard start at Alabama
Things figured to be different — as in, better — for DeBoer in his second season as Alabama coach after a disappointing 9-4, non-Playoff debut season. Saban, the coach DeBoer faced the impossible task of following at Alabama, has been bullish about an improved culture and team this season. But disapproving noise from Alabama fans is about to get very loud after DeBoer’s latest failure. Alabama lacked physicality and discipline at key moments, two primary complaints from last season.
DeBoer, who took Washington to the national title game in 2023, is going to get his time. Alabama deserves credit for scheduling this game. But that can only go so far, and this loss could be costly with games against Georgia, South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee on the schedule. — Rexrode
A major win for the ACC
It’s only August and the selection committee won’t decide the Playoff field for another 15 weeks, but Florida State’s win has big-picture ramifications for themselves — and the ACC — in the Playoff debate. When the committee compares the at-large resumes of competitive programs, it morphs into the law of transitive property.
There are other games this weekend that will enter the discussion, such as LSU at Clemson and Notre Dame at Miami, but this outcome will impact Alabama, Florida State and both teams’ opponents. — Dochterman
SEC’s Week 1 disappointment, a recent tradition
By early evening on the Saturday of Week 1, the SEC had some wounds to lick, and that’s been a bit of a theme in recent years. No. 3 Texas losing at No. 1 Ohio State and No. 8 Alabama losing at Florida State does not equal embarrassment — those are quality road games, while most Power 4 teams fattened stats against huge underdogs at home. Still, those are flagship SEC programs and games that help shape conference strength narratives.
Last year, the SEC got huge Week 1 wins for Georgia over Clemson and Texas at Michigan, but went 1-4 against the Power 4 otherwise. Two years ago, LSU lost to Florida State, and a week later, Alabama lost at home to Texas — back when the Longhorns counted for the Big 12 and against the SEC. — Rexrode
Is Castellanos on the NFL’s radar?
Castellanos is a limited NFL prospect mainly due to his size and general arm talent. He’s listed at a (possibly generous) 5 feet 11, 201 pounds, but he is absolutely an explosive runner who has been a bit of a fearless playmaker over his career. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards two years ago at Boston College and took care of the ball well in limited action last season.
The fit here isn’t unlike what we saw when Florida State had Jordan Travis — an undersized playmaker who isn’t afraid to challenge the middle of the field and can handle a load on the ground. Castellanos is a near-perfect fit for everything Malzahn does. — Baumgardner
(Photo: Butch Dill / Getty Images)
