Even though he didn't arrive on campus until the summer, Ousmane Kromah immediately became one of FSU's most interesting players in its 2025 signing class the second he arrived on campus.
A four-star running back prospect who Rivals ranked as the No. 5 running back in the 2025 recruiting class, Kromah was seen as someone who could be an instant contributor this fall for the Seminoles as a true freshman even though he wasn't able to enroll early and participate in the team's spring camp.
Perhaps because of this, he said in his introductory FSU press conference on Wednesday that his knowledge path of understanding the Seminoles' offense has been fast-tracked a bit since he enrolled at FSU in May.
"I'm definitely sped up a little bit because I came in the summer, but it's ok because they're not just dumping it all on me. They're giving it piece-by-piece..." Kromah said. "We ran similar plays, concepts and stuff like that. It just makes it a little bit simpler for me to understand plays because I can just go back to my high-school film and pick out certain things...It hasn't been hard. It's not a hard offense to learn."
Kromah's ties with FSU go all the way back to when Mike Norvell and the Seminoles were the first team to offer him a scholarship back in 2021 when he was just beginning his freshman season at Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County High. The blue-chip running back originally committed to Georgia over heavy interest from FSU and others last October.
But after visiting FSU twice post-UGA commitment -- including the final weekend before the early signing period in December -- Kromah wound up flipping to the Seminoles in December and signing that same day in one of Norvell's bigger recruiting wins of his FSU tenure.
"Just the family energy that they had at Florida State," Kromah said of why he ended up at FSU. "The main reason was really coach Norvell and YAC (running backs coach David Johnson) because they have this calming fire about them...Constantly conversing with them day-to-day throughout my recruitment and talking to them throughout my recruitment process, it made me yearn to want to be here and yearn to want to be coached by them."
Another big perk of choosing FSU was the opportunity for Kromah to reunite with sophomore FSU running back Kam Davis, who is from Albany, Ga. and who grew up playing football alongside Kromah in southern Georgia.
"That's my dog. Me and him have been around each other since we were little kids, since eight or nine playing with each other...We grew up together, stayed at each others' houses," Kromah said. "He wasn't pushy (during my recruitment). He wasn't like, 'Oh, you need to come here.' He told me to go through my process, take my time, go through all your options and see what you want to do. That just made me want to come here more. He was really looking out for me, checking it out for me like a friend would do. It's been great."
Kromah is being considered one of the more realistic candidates among FSU's true freshmen for early playing time for a few reasons. First off, he arrived at FSU looking the part physically, listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds. He also arrives at FSU fresh off an incredibly productive high-school career which saw him amass over 6,000 yards of offense and 74 touchdowns over his sophomore through senior seasons.
No doubt Kromah hopes he'll be able to get on the field early. And given some of the uncertainty surrounding the depth of FSU's running back room beyond Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk, it's certainly a possibility he can contribute right away.
But asked for any goals he may have for his freshman season, Kromah declined to share specifics, citing a desire to compete and prove he's worthy of an immediate role.
"I just want to do whatever they ask. Whatever they give me, I'll be happy for, be grateful. Personally, I just want to get on the field and contribute however I can..." Kromah said. "I think it's fun competing. I think it's part of the process, part of learning. I have no problem competing for a spot."
A four-star running back prospect who Rivals ranked as the No. 5 running back in the 2025 recruiting class, Kromah was seen as someone who could be an instant contributor this fall for the Seminoles as a true freshman even though he wasn't able to enroll early and participate in the team's spring camp.
Perhaps because of this, he said in his introductory FSU press conference on Wednesday that his knowledge path of understanding the Seminoles' offense has been fast-tracked a bit since he enrolled at FSU in May.
"I'm definitely sped up a little bit because I came in the summer, but it's ok because they're not just dumping it all on me. They're giving it piece-by-piece..." Kromah said. "We ran similar plays, concepts and stuff like that. It just makes it a little bit simpler for me to understand plays because I can just go back to my high-school film and pick out certain things...It hasn't been hard. It's not a hard offense to learn."
Kromah's ties with FSU go all the way back to when Mike Norvell and the Seminoles were the first team to offer him a scholarship back in 2021 when he was just beginning his freshman season at Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County High. The blue-chip running back originally committed to Georgia over heavy interest from FSU and others last October.
But after visiting FSU twice post-UGA commitment -- including the final weekend before the early signing period in December -- Kromah wound up flipping to the Seminoles in December and signing that same day in one of Norvell's bigger recruiting wins of his FSU tenure.
"Just the family energy that they had at Florida State," Kromah said of why he ended up at FSU. "The main reason was really coach Norvell and YAC (running backs coach David Johnson) because they have this calming fire about them...Constantly conversing with them day-to-day throughout my recruitment and talking to them throughout my recruitment process, it made me yearn to want to be here and yearn to want to be coached by them."
Another big perk of choosing FSU was the opportunity for Kromah to reunite with sophomore FSU running back Kam Davis, who is from Albany, Ga. and who grew up playing football alongside Kromah in southern Georgia.
"That's my dog. Me and him have been around each other since we were little kids, since eight or nine playing with each other...We grew up together, stayed at each others' houses," Kromah said. "He wasn't pushy (during my recruitment). He wasn't like, 'Oh, you need to come here.' He told me to go through my process, take my time, go through all your options and see what you want to do. That just made me want to come here more. He was really looking out for me, checking it out for me like a friend would do. It's been great."
Kromah is being considered one of the more realistic candidates among FSU's true freshmen for early playing time for a few reasons. First off, he arrived at FSU looking the part physically, listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds. He also arrives at FSU fresh off an incredibly productive high-school career which saw him amass over 6,000 yards of offense and 74 touchdowns over his sophomore through senior seasons.
No doubt Kromah hopes he'll be able to get on the field early. And given some of the uncertainty surrounding the depth of FSU's running back room beyond Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk, it's certainly a possibility he can contribute right away.
But asked for any goals he may have for his freshman season, Kromah declined to share specifics, citing a desire to compete and prove he's worthy of an immediate role.
"I just want to do whatever they ask. Whatever they give me, I'll be happy for, be grateful. Personally, I just want to get on the field and contribute however I can..." Kromah said. "I think it's fun competing. I think it's part of the process, part of learning. I have no problem competing for a spot."
