LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos was officially added to Texas Tech’s roster Saturday, a week before the season opener for the 12th-ranked Red Raiders.
Coach Joey McGuire said the team has always intended on having six quarterbacks on the roster this season. Will Hammond, returning from an ACL injury last October, is the starter after transfer Brendan Sorsby was declared ineligible because of gambling and later dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA seeking to get back his eligiblity.
Castellanos played last year at Florida State after two seasons at Boston College. He began his college career playing five games as a freshman at UCF in 2022, the last in the American Conference championship game.
“With Tommy, we have an experienced quarterback who we believe can come in and help us win games, if needed,” McGuire said. “His athleticism is also a great trait and will let us continue to expand our offense.”
Hours after Castellanos publicly committed to Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Big 12 adopted a rule similar to the other Power Four conferences that bans players who were on NFL rosters from returning to college. The rule also makes ineligible any player that declared for the NFL draft and didn’t timely withdraw before the draft.
Castellanos went undrafted in April before a tryout as a receiver with the Miami Dolphins during their rookie minicamp. He was never on an NFL roster.
The quarterback said last December that he was going into the NFL draft after dropping his appeal for another year of college eligibility. The NCAA had denied his waiver request to play another season.
A Kentucky judge on Aug. 21 granted a temporary restraining order giving Castellanos and nine other athletes a fifth season of eligibility. That followed the NCAA announcing a rule change in June allowing players who began college in 2023 or later to have five years to play five seasons of sports in college.
Castellanos took part in a fan event Saturday with the Red Raiders, who had an open spot on their roster. The season opener at home for the reigning Big 12 champions against Abilene Christian is sold out next Saturday.
In 38 college games, Castellanos has completed 477 of 816 passes (58.5%) for 6,449 yards with 48 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He threw for 2,760 yards and 15 TDs last year at Florida State.
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