Mike Norvell gets the answer he wanted from FSU QB Thomas Castellanos

On the opening drive of FSU's second scrimmage of the preseason, senior cornerback Jeremiah Wilson made an 'outstanding play' which resulted in him intercepting a pass thrown by Castellanos. Norvell was excited for Wilson but he also wanted to see Castellanos respond.

Tommy Castellanos' Response To Adversity Catches Mike Norvell's Attention

To Castellanos' credit, he battled back and led the offense on multiple touchdown drives. One of those scores was capped off by a long touchdown pass from Castellanos to senior wide receiver Squirrel White.

It was exactly the type of bounce-back that Norvell desired.

"You don't ever want a mistake but sometimes you need to see what's real because you're not going to be mistake-free," Norvell said on Sunday evening. "We started the scrimmage actually with an explosive play and I'll tell you, Jerry [Wilson] made a great play on the pick."

"It's kind of both sides of it. You're excited but for me, it's like 'how is he going to come back from that?' How he responded, it probably gives me more confidence than all the other things that you see when it's going well," Norvell added. "It's the mark of a great quarterback and it's what you have to be able to do. We're challenging Tommy and what I like is he's challenging himself."

Norvell has seen Castellanos continue to grow during the preseason which makes sense considering his experience playing under offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

"I think he's growing throughout this fall camp," Norvell said. "I think coach Tokarz, coach Malzahn, the way that they are bringing him along and the confidence that he's showing in his coaches and what they're asking him to do is showing up and we're going to continue to push."

'A Really Good Night' For FSU QB Tommy Castellanos

Following the interception, Castellanos settled in and showcased the talent that has impressed the coaching staff in camp. His response to negative plays is one thing, his progression as a complete quarterback is another.

Norvell also highlighted the energy Castellanos brings to the field. You can never question his passion.

"Had some big throws, was able to respond well in that situation and that's part of it," Norvell said. "Nobody ever wants to make a mistake with the turnover but what you do from that, I thought he showed a lot of maturity. I thought Tommy had a really good night tonight. You can see him really settling into the things he's asked to do."

"I think the development of him as just a total and complete quarterback is something I'm excited we're seeing," Norvell continued. "He plays with great energy, you can feel his presence on the field with the guys that are around him. I thought he did great things with his arm in being able to push the ball downfield."

Up Next For Florida State

The Seminoles continue preseason practice with sessions scheduled Monday through Thursday.