Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos is confident that he and the Seminoles will start strong when they face Alabama—and he thinks the Crimson Tide might be in trouble without their legendary former coach.
In a recent interview with On3’s Pete Nakos, Castellanos didn’t hold back while previewing the highly anticipated season opener.
“I’m excited, man,” Castellanos said. “Not sure if people realize, but if you look back at every first game I’ve played in, we always come out firing. This is what I dreamed about—playing against Alabama. But they don’t have Nick Saban to save them now. I don’t think they’ll be able to stop me.”
While Castellanos was brimming with confidence, not everyone bought into his bold claim.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers pushed back, defending Alabama and the strength of the SEC. Despite the Tide narrowly missing the expanded 12-team playoff in 2024, Sellers isn’t counting them out.
“Shoot… Alabama is still Alabama to me,” Sellers said. “They were good last year. They’re big, strong, and fast—just like I remember watching growing up. I don’t think they’ve fallen off. That’s still SEC football. That’s still Alabama.”
Sellers nearly led the Gamecocks to an upset over Alabama last season, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing, while also running for 19 yards on 16 carries in a narrow 27-25 defeat.
The debate will be settled on August 30, when Alabama and Florida State square off in Tallahassee at 3:30 PM.