Dynamic South Georgia QB Makes College Decision
One of the top 2022 QB in Georgia has come off the board as dynamic Ware County star Thomas Castellanos Thomas Castellanos 5'11" | 190 lbs | QB Ware County | 2022 State GA publicly committed to play football at…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOne of the top 2022 QB in Georgia has come off the board as dynamic Ware County star Thomas Castellanos Thomas Castellanos 5'11" | 190 lbs | QB Ware County | 2022 State GA publicly committed to play football at UCF.
Castellanos is a tremendous athlete and is so dangerous with the ball in his hands, so many school recruited him as a pure “athlete”. But new UCF head coach Gus Malzahn had other plans. The former Auburn coach doesn’t need a pure passer to run his system, but a good athlete who makes smart decisions with the football.
That’s exactly what Castellanos will bring to Central Florida. He’s not overly big at 5-foot-11 190-pounds, but he’s incredibly agile and runs the ball like a running back. The South Georgia star is a true playmaker who had one of the best seasons of any player across the state last season.
As a junior last fall, Castellanos couldn’t be stopped. He threw for 2,920 yards and 23 touchdowns while only throwing six INTs. He showed a live arm all season and had no problem pushing the ball downfield. He doesn’t have elite arm talent, but his arm is good enough to make plenty of throws at the D1 level. On the ground, Castellanos rushed the ball 170 times for 939 yards (5.5 ypc) and 24 touchdowns. When he took off, he was looking to score, and he scored often.
The staff at Ware County believes he’s the best quarterback in the state after seeing his arm develop over the last few years.
“Thomas has worked very hard to develop this offseason,” a Ware County assistant told Prep Redzone. “We went to a spread offense this past season and Thomas really progressed as a passer. He has tremendous arm strength and accuracy. He has really developed in his read progressions as well as his RPO progressions. With his tremendous athletic ability and passing ability we feel he is the best QB in the state.”
That’s the style of offense Castellanos will play in at UCF, so he should already have a good understanding of what they’ll ask of him. In a spread offense, Castellanos will be able to run some RPO style plays which will give him an opportunity to beat the defense with both his arm and his legs. He can take off for a big gain if there’s an open hole, or he can throw it to an open receiver if the opportunity is there.
Overall, Castellanos could have played at a bigger school and at a more prestigious program, but he might not be able to play quarterback. At UCF under Gus Malzahn, Castellanos can prove down the road that he’s one of the top dynamic QBs at the collegiate level.
Castellanos found the end-zone 47 times last year, but more importantly, he led his Ware County team to a 10-2 record and a deep run in the 2020 playoffs. If he continues to improve his arm strength and can master Malzahn’s offense, Castellanos could see the field sooner than many expect when he gets to campus in 2022.
As for this fall, Castellanos will be focused solely on Ware County, and if he continues to progress this offseason, expect him to take the Gators to another deep playoff run.