just remember that 2 of your 3 losses this year were to FSU.
#1000pages FSU Third Natty (Women’s Soccer 2021 & 2023, and Cheerleading 2023 achieved)
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Rumor is Daddy not happy and they wanted a laughable 800k. Buh bye if true.
disappointing news about Luke, especially if the ask was for 800k.
If Brock is coming back, he is a better option than the BC guy, I really hope they dont pull the trigger on that transfer
If Brock is coming back, he is a better option than the BC guy, I really hope they dont pull the trigger on that transfer
From a staff member at Osceola.
Fishbits
Ultimate Seminole Insider Staff
Today at 12:13 PM
LOL, I am being honest when I say this, these parents give awful advice to their kids. Luke is at best a starter at a FCS program next year. He is not a starter at a P4 program. At least not in 2025. Can he be developed, sure. He should sit and wait his turn at FSU and start in 2026. These quarterbacks these days want everything handed to them. If you want to start as a freshman go to an FCS or lower D1 program and develop. Georgia has quarterbacks on their roster who are in year 3. Arch Manning is not going to play till next year. What did Luke's family see in the games he played in that he was anywhere near ready to play. He will end up just like every other QB whose left here. He will transfer again next year. I wish the kid well but this is the first bad mistake he has made in his career.
He played about a total of 4 games and had 4 TDs and 3 ints and 25 sacks and 1/4 of his snaps were against a very bad FCS school. It’s hilarious. Sounds like he has a dominating and pushy dad and that never ever ever ends well.
I heard it was 7 figures. FSU will need to pay that but it needs to be for a GAM and that’s not Luke.
This one is not surprising, also not sure how hurtful based on lack of playing time.
OL portal wins are more important than any other position
OL portal wins are more important than any other position
I am gonna have to dig a bit to see how many UNC titles were hosted in state. FSU won the only one ever held in Florida.just remember that 2 of your 3 losses this year were to FSU.
Deck was stacked for decades for UNC, while early tourneys featured fewer games/challenges.
The year to year Portal QB is bad for a program like FSU trying to stabilize. "I want to start now, and you don't have the growth program established" AND kids are seeing lost NIL $ up to millions. UGA has a great proven growth system. FSU doesn't and it will continue if the BC or the Liberty QBs are brought in. I am VERY interested in what Gus wants to do with DJU. Him deciding to stay is interesting.
But if you have listened to parents yelling at LL baseball etc, you know parents are usually way off base on their kids "market value".
AAaaaddddd, signed the first QB.
floridastate.rivals.com
Mixed feelings on this. Def hate the one and done, but Mike doesn't have time to develop. Wonder if DJU thinks he is compteing for QB1 or QB2. Gus is getting his guy as well.
FSU finds its QB for 2025: Thomas Castellanos commits to the Seminoles
Boston College transfer QB Thomas Castellanos commits to Florida State.
Mixed feelings on this. Def hate the one and done, but Mike doesn't have time to develop. Wonder if DJU thinks he is compteing for QB1 or QB2. Gus is getting his guy as well.
This one is going to have to grow on me.AAaaaddddd, signed the first QB.
FSU finds its QB for 2025: Thomas Castellanos commits to the Seminoles
Boston College transfer QB Thomas Castellanos commits to Florida State.
Mixed feelings on this. Def hate the one and done, but Mike doesn't have time to develop. Wonder if DJU thinks he is compteing for QB1 or QB2. Gus is getting his guy as well.
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His passing numbers were considerably better in 24 than 23:
2023 189/330 (57.3%), 2248 yards (6.8ypa, 11.89ypc). 15 td, 14 int
2024 99/161 (61.5%), 1366 yards (8.5ypa, 13.79ypc). 18 td, 5 int
Got sacked about the same number of times (20 in 2023, 19 last year)
His running numbers were down considerably:
2023 215 runs for 1113 yards & 13 TD
2024 93 runs, 194 yards, only 1 td
Those numbers are astronomically better than the combined numbers of our 3 guys last year.
He's no Patrick Mahomes, but Mahomes isn't available.
I like getting Castellanos; his mobility is a massive plus that can make a mediocre OL look a lot better (as JT clearly did for a couple of seasons), and his playing style seems like it should be a good fit for Malzahn's offense. I do have one question - does he have one year left, or two? ESPN says one, 247 and a few others say two. Logically, it seems like only one...he appeared in 5 games in his season at UCF, and double-digit games at BC the last two years. I'm assuming he plans to seek a waiver for the season at UCF? He played in 5 games, threw a total of 16 passes & ran the ball 14 times, so he hardly played that season. WTF was the UCF staff thinking to burn a guy's redshirt in that fashion?
Ira on Luke entering portal
"A very good source at FSU told me Luke's family or agent was asking for $1 million in 2025 and 1.4 the year after. I'm told this all was very surprising to FSU because just last week, Luke was getting set to move into a new place with several teammates.
After this request or demand was made, Norvell and a small contingent went to Georgia to visit with the Kromenhoeks this past weekend. I heard it didn't go well. FSU didn't think the request was reasonable ... partly because beginning next year, there will be a salary cap in place as part of the House settlement (football rosters are expected to be around $15-16 million total). And that would be a lot of money to tie up to one player who might not be a starter. I'm not sure they ever got close at all on numbers.
Now, as people have probably seen, the Kromenhoeks have said that's not true. They didn't demand that much. So here we are.
If I had to guess, I'd lean to FSU's version. Have heard from numerous people in the administration and on the staff that this is how it went down (including one high-placed person who gave me the exact figures.)
At the same time, I definitely think the change in offense and bringing in a portal QB got the ball rolling. I could see them thinking if he doesn't win the job in the next year -- and that salary cap goes into effect -- that this might be Luke's last window to really get paid. Especially if he sits for another year or two and doesn't really fit with this offense.
Anyway, that's what I have been told. Hope it helps."
"A very good source at FSU told me Luke's family or agent was asking for $1 million in 2025 and 1.4 the year after. I'm told this all was very surprising to FSU because just last week, Luke was getting set to move into a new place with several teammates.
After this request or demand was made, Norvell and a small contingent went to Georgia to visit with the Kromenhoeks this past weekend. I heard it didn't go well. FSU didn't think the request was reasonable ... partly because beginning next year, there will be a salary cap in place as part of the House settlement (football rosters are expected to be around $15-16 million total). And that would be a lot of money to tie up to one player who might not be a starter. I'm not sure they ever got close at all on numbers.
Now, as people have probably seen, the Kromenhoeks have said that's not true. They didn't demand that much. So here we are.
If I had to guess, I'd lean to FSU's version. Have heard from numerous people in the administration and on the staff that this is how it went down (including one high-placed person who gave me the exact figures.)
At the same time, I definitely think the change in offense and bringing in a portal QB got the ball rolling. I could see them thinking if he doesn't win the job in the next year -- and that salary cap goes into effect -- that this might be Luke's last window to really get paid. Especially if he sits for another year or two and doesn't really fit with this offense.
Anyway, that's what I have been told. Hope it helps."
They for sure asked for the moon not thinking for a second FSU would agree. I think it was similar to a busy contractor quoting a high bid when they are super busy. They wanted to go so they gave a really high quote. They just never realized it would go public and now are a) embarrassed and b) having to make clear to other programs they don’t need that. Problem is it is so ridiculously high that it still may reduce interest.
His tape is not good at all, even accounting for the bad line, it was apparent he is not ready. He was really bad with deer in headlights when pocket collapsed and took way too many sacks. More than Brock and DJU combined. He had a decent arm and some straight line speed but I would not say a cannon of an arm and no elusiveness. He could end up being good to great but that won’t be in 2025 or even 2026. Don’t see him getting anyone willing to pay more than low 6 figures for him since there is low low experience and proof he is ready to starry. QBs getting more than 400k have a body of work as a starter.
Saw this afternoon that Graham has changed his mind & withdrawn from the portal. Happy to see that.
I can see why a guy like Nick Saban retired.
Former FSU QB Luke Kromenhoek’s transfer portal trip example of how fragile plans can be
Kromenhoek entered the transfer portal this week after only one season at Florida State.
www.nytimes.com
Seems like some damage control on their end.
“I want people to know this had zero to do with money.”
Zero? At least make it believable.
Something doesn't add up.Former FSU QB Luke Kromenhoek’s transfer portal trip example of how fragile plans can be
Kromenhoek entered the transfer portal this week after only one season at Florida State.
Seems like some damage control on their end.
“I want people to know this had zero to do with money.”
Zero? At least make it believable.
Jon Kromenhoek and his family invested so much time, effort and money to avoid this exact scenario. When speaking this year about the costs of raising a blue-chip quarterback, Jon estimated he took his son, four-star 2024 signal caller Luke Kromenhoek, on nearly 50 unofficial visits.
Three to Georgia. Two to Alabama. At least 20 to Florida State, where Kromenhoek eventually signed. Those trips cost about $1,000 each, Jon said. It was all done to help Kromenhoek make the most informed decision he could.
...
“We would’ve went and saw other schools a lot more,” Jon said. “We put a lot of our eggs in the Florida State basket. Nobody in a million years would’ve anticipated this season. … But went to hell in a handbasket really fast.”
He’s a victim…that’s what he is trying to convince everyone of.
‘I’m out all this money.’
‘Would have liked to look around even more.’
‘We spent all this time trying to find the right situation.’
‘Couldn’t predict the future.’
These aren’t “new” to college football. It’s only made easier because you: 1. can get “reimbursed” by the school and 2. Pick up and leave at the end of each season.
I don’t think the article addresses the timeline very well, or the fact that a transfer qb is really a 1 year solution (allowing Luke to sit and be better prepared his junior year). Wherever he goes he will more than likely need to learn a new system anyways, and he doesn’t have magical tape that makes being a starter a guarantee.
Honestly, i don’t think coaches should spend one minute trying to convince anyone to stay.
I don’t think Luke’s dad understand how bad Luke’s tape is for the not a ton of game time he got. Doubling down with his whiny interview is only going to hurt more. Nobody wants that drama and attitude for a kid that has a lot more work to put in before he is a big time QB (if he ever becomes one)
Renewed my baseball season tickets for the 2025 season. Still very much undecided on football. Not a product on the field thing, but a cost for the product thing.
Let’s play two, as the Cub player used to say. Ernie Banks?
Details not clear but Norvelll is restructuring contract to allow him to donate 4.5 million - almost half his salary to boosters. Pretty impressive.
Women's soccer star Deyna Castellanos says college in the U.S. changed her life — and she's paying it forward
Deyna Castellanos
Deyna Castellanos usually faces the goal with a focused gaze, but when she scores a goal, an expansive smile spreads across her face — one known to so many who refer to her as the “queen” of soccer in her native Venezuela.
Castellanos, 25, made news early this year when she signed with Bay FC, the San Francisco-based women’s professional soccer team, on a four-year contract worth $1.8 million dollars, making her the highest-paid foreign player in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Before that, Castellanos played with Atlético de Madrid, Manchester City and the Venezuelan national team, and she holds several records, including as the top scorer in South America’s under-17 championships as well as in the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
“My biggest dream is to qualify with the Venezuelan women’s team for the World Cup,” the athlete said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo. “We are growing, we are maturing, and we are evolving in many ways. The goals may change, but the dreams remain the same.”
Castellanos connects her rise in the competitive soccer world to a key event in her life: After distinguishing herself as a young player in international championships despite the limitations of the Venezuelan sports system, Castellanos was awarded a scholarship when she was 16 to study at Florida State University, where she broke records by scoring 47 goals in 77 games.
“Being a student-athlete in the United States changed my life,” she said, adding that coming to the U.S. on that scholarship “has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Castellanos says her college experience in Florida, where she studied journalism, allowed her to learn the principles and discipline of the sport.
But coming out of Venezuela, her experience was not common. “When I was little, they didn’t help you apply for an academic and sports scholarship in the United States. I don’t think there was any organization, especially with female soccer players. That was practically impossible,” she said.
Inspired by her academic and sports career in the United States, Castellanos and her team created the Queen Deyna Program: The Legacy, a foundation that seeks to empower girls and young women through sports and education.
“Obviously, it is more focused on helping girls from Venezuela, but we have European, African, Latin players. ... The truth is that it is a great pride for me,” she said as she delved into the goals of this project.
Although the program started as an idea in 2020, it wasn’t until early 2022 that it began the process of recruiting athletes, with the help of Nike and other sponsors.
“We have already sent 50 girls to the United States. And not just from Venezuela, but from all over the world, which is crazy,” she said, laughing.
Castellano’s goal is to expand the foundation’s reach to help even more young people. “We have to keep looking for funds that can change our goal of sending 15 to 20 players to the United States each year, and maybe even 20 to 40. We want to change things,” she said.
Nearly 25,000 international students and athletes compete in various sports in the United States, according to NCAA figures. Some 900 universities offer scholarships of more than $10,000 per year.
Marianyela Jiménez, a Venezuelan soccer player who is part of the Queen Deyna Program, is one of those athletes. “When I was little, I always wanted to go to the United States and play at a university, but obviously I didn’t know how to do it. I saw it as something impossible until Deyna helped me a lot,” the 20-year-old soccer player said. She now plays and studies at Florida State University, following in Castellanos’ footsteps.
Jiménez joined the Florida State team this year, but she previously studied at William Carey University, where she competed in 66 matches and scored 46 goals. This year, she played with the Venezuelan national team in the U-20 Women’s World Cup and made her debut in the senior category.
The sports environment and the academic demands have given Jiménez a new perspective on her challenges as an athlete.
“The most important thing is discipline. ... You have to train and continue with your studies, because here, in order to play, you have to study,” Jiménez said.
“I think people are now paying a little more attention to women’s football. I feel like it’s already part of everything,” she said excitedly.
Though Castellanos’ signing salary made news, the pay in men’s soccer is much higher. When asked if she thinks there will soon be equal pay in the sport, she said women’s soccer has evolved a lot and will continue to grow, and salaries will be better every year. “I don’t know if we will ever see that equality in salaries. Let’s hope so. But we also know that the numbers that are being used for certain footballers are absurd,” she said. “In the end, this is a sport that we also dedicate ourselves to. It’s our life, and we live off of it.”
Castellanos was asked whether, as a member of the LGBTQ community, she felt women’s soccer was a safe space. Her answer was a yes. “We have always felt at home, we have not felt judged, whether you are heterosexual, bisexual, gay — I think women’s football does that very well.”
Castellanos reflected on what it was like to train in Venezuela amid the country’s political, economic and social crises.
“It’s difficult, because Venezuela doesn’t have a formal, competitive professional league where I can say, for example, that I want to retire in Venezuela and that’s it,” she said. That’s reflected in the uncertain state of the national team, she said, unlike in other South American countries, where professional soccer has a solid base.
“That’s why I think this Queen Deyna Program project also focuses so much on helping Venezuelan players see something different, to open their minds, learn another language and have the opportunity to be seen and to opt for something professional that Venezuela doesn’t offer us,” she said. “I think that’s one of the most special things about this foundation.”
Castellanos said the current situation in Venezuela affects everyone; she said her whole family is still there.
“Next year is the Copa America, and everything is uncertain. The coach is uncertain. We don’t know how many training camps we will have before this competition, which is so important for us because it qualifies us for the 2027 World Cup and the Olympic Games,” Castellanos said. “The situation in the country is always difficult for all of us as Venezuelans, no matter what position you are in, because we all love our country.”
Wow. Deyna is certainly an inspiration. Cool read, thanks.
