LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Well-traveled quarterback Tommy Castellanos plans to play this season for No. 12 Texas Tech, the Big 12 Conference favorite that is set for returner Will Hammond to be its starter after transfer Brendan Sorsby was declared ineligible because of gambling.
A Big 12 ruling later Wednesday, however, made it uncertain if Castellanos would be able to play for the defending league champion Red Raiders.
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Castellanos told ESPN earlier in the day that he had committed to Texas Tech. On the quarterback's verified X account, in which the bio included the phrase professional athlete, there was a photo posted with him in a Texas Tech uniform.
The Big 12, after similar decisions by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences, also is banning players who were on NFL rosters from returning to college. The rule unanimously adopted Wednesday by the Big 12 also makes ineligible any player that declared for the NFL draft and didn't timely withdraw before the draft.
Castellanos, who played last season at Florida State, went undrafted four months ago before a tryout as a receiver with the Miami Dolphins during their rookie minicamp. He was never on an NFL roster, but went through the draft process.
He had declared for the NFL draft last December after dropping his appeal for another year of college eligibility. The NCAA had denied his waiver request to play another season.
Last Friday, Castellanos was among 10 athletes granted a temporary restraining order by a Kentucky judge to get a fifth season of college football. The NCAA announced a rule change in June allowing players who began college in 2023 or later to have five years to play five years of sports in college.
Castellanos, whose college career began at UCF in 2022, transferred last season to Florida State following two at Boston College. His fifth game at UCF as a freshman was the American Athletic Conference championship game after the starter got hurt.
In 38 college games, Castellanos completed 477 of 816 passes (58.5%) for 6,449 yards with 48 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He was 180-of-309 (58.3%) for 2,760 yards, 15 TDs and nine interceptions last year in his 12 games for the Seminoles.
Hammond played in eight games for Big 12 champion Texas Tech behind graduated Behren Morton last season before an ACL injury on Oct. 25. After no setbacks in his recovery, Hammond has been part of fall camp. The Red Raiders open the season at home Sept. 5 against FCS team Abilene Christian.
Sorsby transferred to Tech in January after two seasons at Cincinnati, and was expected to start instead before an NCAA gambling investigation and since-dropped lawsuit over his eligibility.
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