CFB analyst breaks down early keys for FSU and QB Castellanos vs. Alabama

The Florida State Seminoles have their work cut out for them as the Alabama Crimson Tide come to Tallahassee in late August to open the season.

With a lot of hype and a lot of stakes surrounding this game for both FSU head coach Mike Norvell (who went 2-10 in 2024) and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (who failed to make the Playoff last year), this non-conference matchup has a lot more on the line than just College Football Playoff implications.

With this in mind, On3's J.D. PicKell believes that the Seminoles will need a certain type of play from quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

He doesn't think the UCF, BC transfer will need to play the game of his life but simply come through at the right time for the 'Noles.

"For Florida State, I don't think you need to have Tommy Castellanos go for 300 yards. What I think you need to have is him be timely. So, a big part of this will be answering scores. Alabama drives on the field, gets their seven," PicKell said. "You got to make sure that you answer in that specific scenario. It can't be a thing where you punt it away and hope your defense can hold them. I don't like that situation for you, with a Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer-coached offense on the other side for Bama."

The On3 host also mentioned that the FSU QB will need to find his playmakers, like wide receivers Squirrel White and Duce Robinson, if the Garnet and Gold want to have a shot.

"If you're Florida State, you got to find a way to stay within punching distance. A big part of that, I think, is going to come down to converting third and long. So at some point here, Thomas Castellanos: got to find Squirrel White. Gotta find Deuce Robinson. Gotta win your matchups. He could have a day where he throws for a 50% completion percentage, but if that 50% is completed at the right time on third downs, and you keep drives alive, I'm cool with it. So it may not be explosive, but if it's timely, we're gonna be in good shape for Florida State," PicKell stated.

The Seminoles and the Crimson Tide will square off on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee on ABC.