The Big Blue Nation is waiting anxiously to see what happens at a court hearing on Friday in Louisville where former Missouri basketball star Mark Mitchell is listed as a plaintiff as he multiple others fight for an extra year of eligibility after U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney recently granted a class-wide preliminary injunction in Colorado that gives all class of 2022 prospects an extra year of eligibility. That plaintiffs list is growing.
There are multiple former Northern Kentucky basketball players, a former Georgia Tech pitcher, and two Louisville secondary players who could be plug-and-play starters for Jeff Brohm this fall. Now a high-profile quarterback has joined the party.
Thomas Castellanos is joining this fight.
The former high three-star recruit out of South Georgia signed with UCF in the 2022 high school cycle and spent one seasons there before moving to Boston College. The dual-threat quarterback played for two seasons in Chestnut Hill for head coaches Jeff Hafley and Bill O’Brien before ending his career in 2025 at Florida State. Castellanos started 20 games in his career and owns 6,449 passing yards, 2,289 non-sack rushing yards, and 72 total touchdowns across 2,160 career snaps. Castellanos set career highs in passing yards (2,760) and yards per attempt (8.9) last season.
This hearing was originally scheduled on Thursday but got postponed to Friday. That allowed Castellanos to join this fight. These former student-athletes are asking for the transfer portal to open for all plaintiffs from now until next Tuesday, August 18 in addition to a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction and permanent injunction for a fifth and final year of eligibility.
The NCAA is currently appealing Judge Sweeney’s preliminary injunction. That injunction gives athletes a fifth year of eligibility but it does not change other rules. That means entering the portal can only happen if a window is open. The NCAA recently cracked down on ghost transfers (moving to another school without entering the portal) with a head coach facing a potential suspension up to 50 percent of the regular season. That’s six games in college football and somewhere between 15-16 game in college basketball.
Thomas Castellanos, Mark Mitchell, and the other plaintiffs on this suit are hoping that Judge Brian Edwards will rule in their favor and provide the temporary restraining order that opens the portal for a few days so a transfer can occur.