Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos has already made headlines ahead of the 2025 season opener against Alabama, but Crimson Tide legend AJ McCarron thinks the young QB would’ve been better off staying quiet.
“All I’m saying is, if you’re a guy like Thomas, keep your mouth shut, go to work, and let your play do the talking,” McCarron said recently on his podcast, The Dynasty. “You’ve just added fuel to the fire, brother.”
Castellanos raised eyebrows earlier this summer when he told On3 he was excited to face Alabama, adding that the Crimson Tide “don’t have Nick Saban to save them,” and confidently predicted they wouldn’t be able to stop him.
McCarron wasn’t impressed.
“Where do you even start?” he said. “You’re going to a team that was dead last in the ACC. You lost the starting job at your last school, where you finished ninth in the conference. I’m all for confidence, but this is stupidity.”
McCarron suggested Castellanos should give Boston College head coach — and former Alabama offensive coordinator — Bill O’Brien a call to get a reality check on what kind of players and competition he’s about to face.
“Ask Bill how Alabama is,” McCarron said. “What type of athletes they have. The speed. The size. Let OB tell you: ‘Hey Thomas, you might want to stay quiet on this one.’”
McCarron warned that Castellanos’ words would only make life harder for himself when the game kicks off on August 30.
“You’ve run your mouth, and now you better back it up,” McCarron said. “Because once you take a couple hits, that accuracy that cost you your starting job before better show up quick. Otherwise, you might be headed back to the transfer portal.”
Castellanos’ comments have added extra drama heading into a game that was already circled on calendars across college football. Alabama, under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, will look to prove the program is still a force to be reckoned with, even in the post-Saban era.
AJ McCarron Warns Castellanos: Trash Talk Will Haunt You vs. Alabama
