The expectation and reality surrounding Florida State's 2024 tight end position group couldn't have been much different.
What was expected was a room led by senior Kyle Morlock (255 receiving yards in his first season at FSU in 2023) and a few other returning players who each had a chance to take a leap into the first significant playing time of their collegiate careers.
What actually happened was that the only especially viable tight ends FSU had on the roster were a pair of true freshmen. Landen Thomas ranked fifth on FSU's roster with 173 receiving yards. Amaree Williams was one of only three players who had two or more touchdown catches.
Now, both are back as sophomores — although it remains to be seen how much tight end Williams plays — and FSU revamped its position group in a major way by bringing in UCF transfer Randy Pittman, bringing back Arizona State transfer Markeston Douglas who left FSU after the 2023 season and landing a promising freshman in Chase Loftin.
Whereas much of last offseason’s belief surrounding FSU's tight end room was built around potential, the Seminoles enter 2025 with some real proven tight end production at this level.
The Osceola's preseason position preview series continues with a look at the tight ends.
Pre-camp Depth Chart:
Junior Randy Pittman (6-foot-2, 237 pounds)
Sophomore Landen Thomas (6-foot-4, 239 pounds)
Redshirt senior Markeston Douglas (6-foot-5, 270 pounds)
Sophomore Amaree Williams (6-foot-4, 230 pounds)
Freshman Chase Loftin (6-foot-6, 223 pounds)
Florida State’s 2024 Tight End Stats:
Landen Thomas - 173 receiving yards, one touchdown
Kyle Morlock - 149 receiving yards
Amaree Williams - 71 receiving yards, two touchdowns
Brian Courtney - Three receiving yards
Offseason transactions
Departures and Arrivals:
Kyle Morlock (ran out of eligibility)
Jackson West (transferred to Western Kentucky)
Brian Courtney (transferred to Tennessee Tech)
Jerrale Powers (transferred to Stephen F. Austin)
Randy Pittman (transferred in from UCF during the December portal window)
Markeston Douglas (transferred back to FSU from Arizona State during the December portal window)
Chase Loftin (signed in December)
On The Rise:
You can make the case that pretty much this whole FSU tight end room has been on the rise this offseason.
Landen Thomas took advantage of the playing-time opportunity that was presented to him as a true freshman and now enters year two at FSU with a better understanding of what it takes to play and have success at this level as well as another year in FSU's strength and conditioning program.
Randy Pittman brings knowledge of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's playbook from their time together at UCF and he also brings a great deal of production. Over two seasons in Orlando, Pittman amassed 631 yards and three touchdowns. His production nearly doubled from his freshman to sophomore seasons, as he accounted for 416 yards (second-most on the UCF roster) and two touchdown catches. He seemed to carry that over into his first spring at FSU from what we saw and heard about how he performed.
Markeston Douglas said in his first press conference back at FSU that he wanted to play his final season of college football at a much lower weight than he was at during his first stint as a Seminole. He's currently listed at 270 pounds on FSU's online roster, down 15 pounds from the 285 he was listed at during the 2023 season. We'll see what he's listed at on FSU's updated roster before preseason camp begins, but that lost weight would likely unlock more of Douglas' receiving ability while maintaining the blocking ability that comes from him being far and away FSU's biggest tight end.
Additionally, we'll have to see what kind of role he can carve out right away but Chase Loftin may have been the most frequently discussed freshman on either side of the ball this spring. He turned heads and drew praise multiple times from FSU's coaches for how quickly he hit the ground running, with Mike Norvell saying he believes he'll get on the field this fall as a freshman.
Biggest Question:
One major question that will need to be answered this preseason is how much, if at all, can Amaree Williams play tight end in 2025. Brought in as a reclassified defensive line prospect last summer, Williams worked with the tight ends last season while bulking up for his defensive line future and managed to make waves in games despite the fact that he was supposed to be a senior in high school last fall.
This spring, he worked exclusively with the defense on the practice field. However, he said that he was still attending tight end position group meetings as his schedule allowed. Will Williams be able to play on both sides of the ball this season? Does FSU need him in the tight end room or could he focus on defense, where he made a number of plays during the spring scrimmage media members observed?
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