It’s hard to overstate just how far the Florida State football program has come over a nine-month period.

After a 2-10 season, the program’s worst record in half a century, Mike Norvell took to the portal to try to fill a number of big roster holes. The biggest without a doubt was the acquisition of former Boston College QB Tommy Castellanos. Now the unquestioned leader of the team, Castellanos has backed up his big words with high-end play to lead the Seminoles back into the top 10 rankings and in the thick of the ACC and College Football Playoff races.

But he’s also found himself in the early stages of another race – the Heisman Trophy. Per ESPN’s David Hale, a big week this week could put Castellanos up at the top of the conversation.

ESPN’s David Hale says that wins over Virginia and Miami would make the Heisman Trophy “his to lose” regarding Tommy Castellanos

“When Castellanos talked smack about Alabama this summer, it became a national punchline. When he backed it up with a win over the Tide in Week 1, he had the last laugh. Through three games, Castellanos’ 91.6 Total QBR ranks third nationally, though he’ll be in for a test the next two weeks — a road trip to Virginia on Friday for what could be a shootout and then a showdown against rival Miami. If Castellanos takes down another top-five team, the Heisman might be his to lose.” – Via David Hale, ESPN.com

There’s little doubt about how Castellanos has captured the attention of the nation thus far. Plenty of eyeballs were on Tallahassee back on August 30, when the Seminoles topped the then-#8 Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17. Castellanos delivered with his arm, but even more so with his legs, running for two scores. And it’s that dual threat ability that gives Castellanos the ability to have a potentially special season for both Florida State and himself personally.

Now, the stats might not jump off the page at you as far as the overall numbers, particularly in comparison to other top quarterbacks across the country. Part of that is related to FSU’s dominance over East Texas A&M and Kent State, the latter of which saw Castellanos suffer a minor injury that cut his day short.

However, Castellanos is going to have the attention of the country over the next two weeks, starting tonight against Virginia on national television. Pull off a win there and deliver a performance good enough to knock off Miami the next weekend in Tallahassee on October 4, and the Castellanos Heisman machine would be up and running at full steam.

A feat that most that fans would have laughed at back at the beginning of the year could be 8 days away from being a reality if the Seminoles continue their high level of play.

Minnesota Vikings News

Vikings have a major need to fix the running game and an explosive prospect could be the cure

He’s an incredible prospect

Tyler Forness