Former Boston College and Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos was granted an injunction Friday allowing him to enter the transfer portal and play a fifth season. He will play for Texas Tech in his final year, according to a social media post from his agency. The Red Raiders had a void at quarterback after their original portal signee, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, went into treatment for a gambling addiction and eventually left the team. Castellanos would likely begin as backup to junior Will Hammond, who made two starts last season but is coming off an ACL injury.

Over 38 career games at UCF (2022), Boston College (2023-24) and FSU (2025), the dual-threat QB has thrown for 6,449 yards, 48 touchdowns and 28 interceptions while rushing for 1,984 yards and 24 TDs. He left BC with three games remaining in the 2024 regular season after coach Bill O’Brien benched him as starter. He was the nation’s 43rd-rated passer (143.5) last season.

During the opening weekend of the 2025 season, Castellanos led the Seminoles to a 31-17 upset win over then-No. 8 Alabama. He capitalized on the victory by trademarking merchandise referencing the win, but Florida State stumbled early thereafter, finishing the season 5-7 overall.

The NCAA recently instituted a new eligibility model that allows athletes five seasons of eligibility over five years, beginning no later than age 19. But the rule did not apply retroactively to players who entered college in 2022 and already completed four seasons under the old model. On July 31, a federal judge in Colorado granted an injunction in the Wisne v. NCAA case, which allows most athletes from the high school class of 2022 who’d already completed their careers to return for a fifth season. The NCAA has appealed the ruling. However, the injunction did not create a special transfer portal window, meaning players could only return to the same school. Castellanos was one of 13 football and basketball players who filed a subsequent lawsuit in Kentucky seeking immediate entry into the transfer portal. Castellanos said in the filing he could not return to Florida State because they did not have a spot for him after signing Auburn’s Ashton Daniels last winter. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Brian Edwards held a hearing Aug. 13 and issued his ruling Friday.