As he began putting together his first staff as head football coach at Florida State, Mike Norvell might not have made a more important hire than Chris Thomsen as tight ends coach and deputy head coach.

Not only has Thomsen enjoyed a long and successful career in college coaching, but he had worked with Norvell before and knew exactly what the Seminoles would need to get out of the all-important tight end position in this offense. And Thomsen's expertise certainly came in handy as FSU faced a slew of challenges this offseason, particularly at his position.

Senior tight end Tre' McKitty, a multi-year starter, transferred to Georgia in January. And UCLA grad transfer Jordan Wilson, who could have been McKitty's replacement, went down at the start of preaseason camp with a season-ending injury.

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That leaves the Seminoles with a junior who has six career receptions, a converted quarterback who is still learning the position, two true freshmen and an assortment of walk-ons.

And those players are being tasked with learning the most versatile position in Norvell's offense -- one he calls the "three-back" because the players can either serve as in-line blockers, spread out wide as receivers or line up in the backfield as H-backs.

"There's never really a day where you can get comfortable," Thomsen said of playing tight end in Norvell's offense. "If you're a guy that likes to just be comfortable, then it's not a position, in this system, that you want to play."

The good news in that regard is Thomsen has been extremely impressed with each of his tight ends when it comes to their intelligence and desire to learn. They earned his respect in April, May and June when they would voluntarily show up for Zoom meetings each day with a great thirst for knowledge, and then call him back later to follow up on key points.

“My group is not very big, and the whole room is made up of very smart and very motivated guys,” Thomsen said during a June interview with Warchant. “So honestly, the teaching was really fun. I enjoyed it. I would much rather do it in person, but it was actually really good.”

Applying those lessons on the field has been a challenge at times, both physically and mentally. But Thomsen sounds genuinely encouraged with each player's progress.

Junior Camren McDonald, who was known primarily as a receiver coming out of Long Beach, Calif., has added some muscle to his 6-foot-4, 238-pound frame. And while he will likely never be a punishing blocker like the Seminoles thought they had in Wilson, coaches say he has grown a great deal over the past eight months.

And that improvement, along with his impressive receiving skills, can make him a real threat.

"He's worked really hard at being a better in-line blocker," Thomsen said. "Doing the things that it takes with our system.... He's working hard at becoming a good, well-rounded tight end."