With the Texas Tech football season just ten days away, head coach Joey McGuire and his staff have made another significant investment in the 2026 roster. Wednesday, news broke that former Florida State and Boston College starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos has committed to play for the Red Raiders this fall.
This move had been rumored to be in the works for several days following Castellanos receiving a temporary injunction allowing him to play a fifth year of college football. Now, he's confirmed the move, and the Texas Tech quarterback room has become much stronger.
Tech will be Castellanos' fourth college to play for. In 2022, he appeared in five games for UCF. Then, in 2023-24, he saw action in 21 games for Boston College. Last season, he started all 12 games for Florida State.
For his career, he's thrown for 6,449 yards and completed 58.5% of his passes. He's amassed a 16-16 record as a starter in a career that has included some incredible highs and some inexplicable lows.
NEWS: Thomas Castellanos has committed to Texas Tech, he tells ESPN. He's a former quarterback at Florida State, BC and UCF. He has 6,449 career passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns. He's also rushed for 24 touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/T4vVvkuTXY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 26, 2026
His most notable performance came in the 2025 opener when FSU upset No. 8 Alabama 31-17. Though he threw for only 152 yards on 14 attempts that day, he ran for 78 more yards and a touchdown. In all, he's amassed 1,984 yards and 24 scores with his legs.
Interestingly, his only 300-yard passing game came against the Seminoles in 2023. That day, he was 20-33 passing for 305 yards with one TD and one interception in a 31-29 loss for Boston College.
Speaking of interceptions, they have been an issue for Castellanos. He has thrown 28 in his career on just 816 attempts. That means he averages one pick for every 29.1 passes thrown.
Another drawback for Castellanos is his size. He's listed at only 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds. Therefore, injuries are always a concern, especially for a dual-threat QB.
This is an insurance policy for Texas Tech
Make no mistake, Castellanos is coming to Lubbock to back up Will Hammond. And adding a high-priced backup makes perfect sense given Texas Tech's injury history at that position.
Last season, Behren Morton started all but one game despite playing with a hairline fracture in his leg. The year before, he played in all 12 regular-season games but missed his team's bowl game due to shoulder surgery.
In all, Tech has had to use its backup QB to start at least one game in nine of the past ten seasons. What's more, in five of those seasons, Tech had to ask its third-string QB to make at least one start.
The last time Tech had one QB start every game of the season was in 2016 when Pat Mahomes made all 12 starts. So if any program is going to invest in a quality backup, it will be Texas Tech.
If the Red Raiders were just trying to reach bowl eligibility or max out at ten wins this season, then Castellanos would not be needed. They could roll with sophomore Lloyd Jones or Tulsa transfer Kirk Francis as their backup and still be mediocre or even better than that.
However, this team expects to win the Big 12 and make a run in the College Football Playoffs in 2026. Therefore, all contingency plans must be accounted for, including another injury at QB.
Now, the Red Raiders can go into the season feeling more secure about their backup QB situation. Hopefully, Castellanos won't be asked to save the day, but if he is, Tech should feel confident that he can deliver.
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