FSU's Thomsen encouraged by tight ends' progress; breaks down position
There might not be a tight ends coach in the country who has more to work with at the moment than Florida State's Chris Thomsen.
In terms of sheer numbers, it's hard to imagine another college football team has as many scholarship tight ends vying for playing time as the Seminoles do heading into the 2021 season.
There are 11 tight ends listed on the Florida State roster overall, including seven on scholarship and a walk-on in Preston Daniel who got substantial playing time a season ago as a freshman.
That's a whole lot of bodies to coach, and a whole lot of players trying to work themselves into the rotation. So, Thomsen has had a rather unique preseason trying to prepare the unit for the Seminoles' season opener vs. Notre Dame on Sept. 5.
*** Don't miss our exclusive FSU football coverage. 30-day Free Trial***
"Compared to this time a year ago, (we're) really far along," Thomsen said. "In terms of the knowledge of the offense and then the technical part of what they're doing, they're a long way ahead of where they were."
Here's Thomsen's breakdown of each of the tight ends he was asked about after Friday's practice:
On "super senior" Jordan Wilson: "You can see just physically he's a different guy than what we had. He gives us a physical element in that group. Just a bigger body, and athleticism, and brings a lot of experience. He's done a great job in camp."
On Daniel: "Preston Daniel has had a tremendous camp. He's worked extremely hard on everything we've asked him to do. He's done a great job."
On redshirt freshman Markeston Douglas: "Markeston has really flashed in a lot of ways. His size jumps out, but he's an athletic guy as well."
On redshirt freshman Carter Boatwright: "He's 245 pounds. He's gotten a lot bigger since this time last year. A lot more physical. Catches the ball well."
On freshman Jackson West: "He brings a physical edge. And has had a good camp, he really has. He's like any freshman; he's still trying to learn some of the basics of what we're doing. But I think at some point this year, I think you'll see all those guys have a shot to help us."
On redshirt junior Camren McDonald: "On the field, he's always been a gifted route-runner. He's a natural pass-catcher. He gets in and out of breaks. He does all the things as a receiving tight end that you want him to do. But he's worked really, really hard at in-line blocking, perimeter blocking, blocking out of the backfield. He's improved his game a lot as a blocker, but also leadership wise. He's a guy that does a lot in the community, as you guys know. And I think that inspires other guys. I think he's a guy that inspires people on and off the field in a lot of different ways, and has just been a great asset for us since we've been here."
--------------------------------------------------
Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council