Florida State Football: 5 storylines to follow during 2018 spring ball

2. Using the tight end in the passing game

Under Jimbo Fisher, the tight end was a little-used position in the passing game. Fisher focused more on blocking tight ends in his pro-style offense even with highly-touted tight ends on campus in Ryan Izzo and Nick O’Leary.

Willie Taggart loves a flex tight end that can stretch the defense and tie up linebackers and safeties deep over the middle. The Seminoles don’t have a ton of depth at tight end with Izzo heading to the NFL and backup Mavin Sanders transferring to Kansas. That brings Taggart’s focus on to former three-star prospect Tre’ McKitty.

McKitty, from IMG Academy, has NFL size and is a pass catching tight end. He’s 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds and can block as well as be involved in the passing game. He only caught one ball in 2017 but it was a 23-yard reception.

Naseir Upshur is a junior with experience but not the same athletic ability of McKitty. Upshur is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, so size is there but not the height — Taggart likes to get mismatches against shorter linebackers and safeties. Camren McDonald, a 2018 signee, is a four-star prospect from Long Beach Poly in California. He’s another West Coast connection Taggart made in his twelve month stint in Eugene. McDonald, like McKitty, is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.