The words of Thomas Castellanos were validated on Saturday night. Just 71 days after he sat down for an interview with On3 to discuss his departure from Boston College, his arrival at Florida State and his big plans to beat Alabama to open the season, his predictions came true.
Part catharsis for Castellanos. Part catharsis for Mike Norvell and FSU following the 2-10 output in 2024. And for Alabama, more questions. The Crimson Tide are now 5-5 since last September’s win over Georgia.
Week 1 was filled with more than just Florida State’s stunning turnaround win over Alabama, though. LSU picked up the season-opening win it’s been looking for under Brian Kelly, as the portal additions made the Tigers look the more physical team. Arch Manning struggled in his official debut as Texas’ starting quarterback, as Ohio State picked up its sixth consecutive top-10 win. Since last year’s loss at Oregon, the Buckeyes have won 10 of 11 games — the lone loss to Michigan.
Kansas State survived an upset-minded North Dakota, Kent State snapped a 21-game losing streak and Texas Tech’s $28 million roster nearly scored 70 points. Tarleton State and Austin Peay picked up wins over Army and Middle Tennessee, respectively. Here is On3’s weekly college football stock report following an action-packed Week 1:
📈 Stock Up
Mike Norvell’s transfer portal haul
When Thomas Castellanos opened up to On3 in June, he did not hold back. He had pointed words toward Boston College. The quarterback also put a target on Florida State’s back when he said he did not see Alabama “stopping me.”
“People, I don’t know if they know, but you go back and watch every first game that I played in, we always start fast,” Castellanos said in June. “I dreamed of moments like this. I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
On Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, Castellanos delivered on his promise. He made a play every time FSU needed an answer to Alabama, finishing 9 of 14 for 152 yards while rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown.
But the quarterback wasn’t the only transfer who came up big for the Seminoles. FSU added 23 transfers this offseason. That showed on the offensive line, with Wake Forest’s Luke Petitbon, Ole Miss’ Micah Pettus and Vanderbilt’s Gunnar Hansen all playing major snaps. Tennessee’s Squirrel White, USC’s Duce Robinson and UCF’s Randy Pittman all recorded at least one catch.
First-time starting quarterbacks
Across the sport in Week 1, first-time starting quarterbacks flashed. Julian Sayin led Ohio State to a win over Texas in his first career start. CJ Carr delivered for Notre Dame in Miami Gardens, despite the Fighting Irish falling just short to Miami. But it was Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele who had the most impressive performance in Week 1.
Sagapolutele flipped from Cal late in the recruiting process to Oregon before entering the transfer portal and rejoining the Golden Bears this winter. He beat out Devin Brown for the starting job in training camp. And on Saturday against Oregon State, he was 20 of 30 for 234 yards, 3 touchdowns. Bryce Underwood also flashed in his first career start, throwing for 251 yards and a touchdown and delivering a nasty block on a touchdown run.
LSU defense
After an offseason spending spree in the portal to give defensive coordinator Blake Baker the tools he needed, the LSU defense came together as planned on Saturday night at Clemson. LSU held the home-team Tigers to 261 total yards and only 31 rushing yards. Healthy Harold Perkins looked like his old self, while the new-look LSU secondary was anchored by Virginia Tech transfer cornerback Mansoor Delane. Delane posted two tackles, two pass breakups and an interception as Cade Klubnik was just 19 of 38. The next test for Baker’s defense is Sept. 13 when Florida visits Baton Rouge.
Carson Beck
A year ago, the narrative surrounding Carson Beck was that he was in the midst of a down year. After entering 2024 with No. 1 NFL draft pick hype, Beck just did not deliver. But in his Miami debut Sunday night, Beck looked like the 2023 version of himself that was surrounded by draft buzz. Maybe he just needed a fresh start. Maybe it was a new wide receiver room. But Beck delivered in the win over Notre Dame, finishing 20 of 31 for two touchdowns and 205 passing yards.
Freshmen wide receivers
Next to first-time starting quarterbacks, freshmen wide receivers were making plays in Week 1. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway launched a nearly 50-yard pass on Saturday night to true freshman Vernell Brown, who, falling backwards, was able to make a one-handed catch for 41 yards. The play landed at No. 1 on ESPN’s Top 10 plays that night.
On Sunday night in Miami, it was freshman Malachi Toney turning heads. Nicknamed “Baby Jesus,” Toney led all Miami receivers with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Stock holding
Arch Manning
Saturday in Columbus did not go as Arch Manning or Steve Sarkisian drew it up this offseason. In one of the most anticipated quarterback debuts in the history of college football, Manning struggled. He was 17 of 30 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The nephew of Peyton and Eli appeared rattled. He missed wide receivers and didn’t complete a pass longer than 10 yards in the air until the fourth quarter. According to ESPN, Manning finished with an off-target rate of 37%, the worst by any Texas quarterback in the last decade. But it’s too early to write off Manning completely.
📉 Stock Down
Alabama
Florida State stunned Alabama on Saturday in a surprising fashion. Gus Malzahn, in his debut as FSU’s offensive coordinator, ran the ball at will. The loss left Alabama with more questions about its future. The Tide doesn’t have much time to figure it out. They host Louisiana-Monroe this week before Wisconsin visits. SEC play opens on Sept. 27 with a visit to Georgia. As On3’s Andy Staples wrote on Saturday, it’s a game Alabama was not supposed to lose and one that would be uncharacteristic under Nick Saban.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies pushed South Carolina on Sunday in Atlanta, giving South Carolina’s offensive line some major headaches. But it wasn’t enough as the Gamecocks managed the game in the second half en route to a 24-11 win. The Week 1 loss isn’t the only reason why Virginia Tech is trending down, though. Throughout Week 1, Virginia Tech transfers balled out. Mansoor Delane was a star Saturday night for LSU against Clemson. Offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin is going to be the foundation of Auburn’s offensive line this season. Multiple players from last year’s Virginia Tech roster could be drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, but they are off finishing their careers elsewhere.
Northwestern
On the field, nothing went according to plan for Northwestern. SMU transfer quarterback Preston Stone threw four interceptions as the Wildcats fell 23-3 at Tulane. But even after the loss on the road, Northwestern got called out in Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall’s press conference.
“I’m not trying to take a shot, but we requested to wear white jerseys because that’s what that team wore,” Sumrall told reporters in a postgame news conference. “It got denied, that’s their prerogative. But when you disrespect the city of New Orleans, that’s what’s going to happen to you. You’re going to run into a team like this that had a chip on their shoulder. … We might’ve used that for a little motivation to represent the city.
“Don’t disrespect the City of New Orleans, ever.”
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