By james art 
Watch: New FSU OC Gus Malzahn to work with Mike Norvell, Herb Hand
Gus Malzahn is the offensive coordinator for the Florida State Seminoles.
Thomas Castellanos will lead the new era of Florida State’s offense under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell overhauled his roster and coaching staff in the offseason. He brought in 38 new players and a cohort of new coaches, including Malzahn as offensive coordinator and play-caller.
Malzahn’s offense revolves around running the football and having a mobile, crafty quarterback who can put pressure on opposing defenses. The Seminoles named Castellanos the quarterback for Malzahn’s first season in Tallahassee.
And the Boston College transfer has one year to improve FSU’s running offense in 2024.
The pair have a history as Malzahn while at UCF recruited Castellanos out of high school. Castellanos spent one season at UCF before transferring to Boston College, where he threw for 3,614 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding 1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
He fits what Malzahn typically looks for in a defenseman, and the pair has the chance to bring excitement for Doak in the fall.
Castellanos’ ability to command key offensive production
The key to Malzahn’s offense is the quarterback’s ability to be a dynamic runner.
Castellanos is one of the best runners at the quarterback position in college football, and his ability to improvise in the pocket is a threat to the Seminoles.
Last season with DJ Uiagalele, Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, opponents did not fear the Seminoles linebacker’s ability to run. While there were moments where it wore on, especially with Glenn and Kromenhoek breaking some big runs, it made the offense predictable.
That, in part, led to the Seminoles’ struggles last season, and that’s why Malzahn and Castellanos were brought in. defender.
Castellanos is more than comfortable performing these plays. During his time at Boston College, Castellanos was most successful running outside of tackles, primarily to the left side of the offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
His ability on the ground can create opportunities for the Seminoles’ running backs, especially with option plays. Castellanos forces defenses to respect the run, which can lead to an overcommission from option defenses that allow big gains from running backs.
The data also sheds light on his rushing abilities, with his best rushing season coming in 2023. included 42 rushes that accounted for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The ability to improvise on broken plays was missing from FSU last season, and Castellanos can escape the pocket in a similar fashion to Jordan Travis.
With Malzahn Calling Plays, expect to see the 2023 version of Castellanos more than he did in the pro-style strait by Boston College’s Bill O’Brien.
Improving as a passer can open up the playbook
While Castellanos’ rushing ability is the most obvious scheme fit for Malzahn, his improvement as a passer gives the Seminoles’ offense another layer.
Castellanos’ rushing yards suffered under O’Brien at Boston College, but his passing production improved dramatically. In eight games, he threw for 1,366 yards, 18 touchdowns and, most importantly, just five interceptions.
In 2023 Castellanos threw for over 2,248 yards and 15 touchdowns, but he also threw 14 interceptions. Lowering the turnovers while increasing his sensors in a smaller sample size of games shows the improvements made as a passer, even if the schematic fit with O’Brien isn’t right.
With Malzahn’s use of screens, quick shots and play-action, Castellanos fits the bill. At Boston College, he found most of his success on short to intermediate yards, mostly on crossing routes or slants that attacked the middle of the field, according to PFF.
Castellanos has the ability to run play-action well, and his quickness helps sell the game. According to PFF, he had a 54.8% completion rate on play action in 2023, improving dramatically with a 69.6% completion rate with the concept in 2024.
Pairing Castellanos with receivers like Squirrel White and Duce Robinson, along with the talented young receivers in the program, gives Malzahn plenty to work with.
Attacking the middle of the field with RPOS and quick hit routes that can pick up yards after the catch would fit right in with what both Malzahn and Castellanos have been doing, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see something similar this year.
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Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney