FSU football team's TE room gets bigger in more than one way
When Tre' McKitty transferred a little more than a year ago, the Florida State tight end room was left with Camren McDonald, true freshman Carter Boatwright and some unproven walk-ons to start spring practice.
It's remarkable how much has changed in a year.
McDonald is still around, of course, but so are five other scholarship tight ends.
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Wyatt Rector made the switch from quarterback and is now on scholarship. Preston Daniel is still a walk-on but saw the field plenty as a freshman in 2020. Jordan Wilson, who transferred from UCLA, still isn't officially cleared from a knee injury last summer but should be ready to contribute by the fall.
Boatwright and fellow 2020 signee Markeston Douglas are still on the roster trying to earn playing time. As is early enrollee Jackson West, who has been one of the early stars of spring drills.
"They've all positioned themselves to compete and be in a position to play," FSU tight ends coach Chris Thomsen said after Tuesday's practice. "Their change in their bodies from the end of the regular season to the start of spring ball has been remarkable. ...
"And competition is the key word. We don't want guys getting complacent."
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McDonald is the returning starter of the group, and both Thomsen and head coach Mike Norvell have been very complimentary of the redshirt junior.
He's gone from the low 230s to the low 240s in weight, and has still been able to maintain his speed and athleticism.
"I saw a lot of growth in him, as a route-runner, as a blocker, all the things you look for," Thomsen said. "He's a matchup problem. He's put on so much mass ... I think the sky is the limit for him."
"I feel a lot stronger at the point of attack," McDonald said. "And I'm in love with the (physical) development I've seen from myself so far."
But he won't be getting all the reps, of course.
Not only will Norvell use sets with two or three tight ends, but he also is not averse to rotating tight ends throughout the course of a game. Both Rector and Daniel got plenty of reps in 2020 for the Seminoles.
When Wilson returns, he also will be in the mix to play a good bit in the fall because of his physicality. All of them, along with Boatwright, have gotten noticeably bigger and stronger, Thomsen said.
As has West, who has gained "10-12 pounds" since arriving in January as a freshman from Alabama. It has taken him no time at all to make an impression on his coaches.
When Norvell was asked about the tight end position after Tuesday's practice, he almost hesitated before bringing up West's name again, as if he had talked too highly of the freshman already. But he couldn't help himself.
"Jackson West had a really good day today," Norvell said with a smile. "He's going to really fit into the mold of what we're looking for."
A big reason for that, Thomsen said, is because Jackson West has no problem with contact. In fact, he seeks it out.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound freshman has been displaying that physicality his whole life, and nothing has changed since he got to college.
"He's one of the few guys on a high school tape, there was a different level of aggression, a different level of just going after people and trying to finish," Thomsen said. "Everything I've seen from him so far, there's no backing down. It doesn't matter who we put in front of him. ...
"He's adapted really well. He's not the guy you have to push into being physical. ... He takes the fight to the other guy. He's not a guy that waits around."
The Seminoles return to the practice field on Thursday afternoon. Check back with Warchant.com around 4:30 p.m. ET for live updates.
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