Ousmane Kromah’s Year 2 body transformation could unlock the missing piece of his game

There’s no denying it: Mike Norvell’s job is on the line in 2026. And after back-to-back losing seasons, he clearly didn’t have full buy-in from Florida State administration and boosters this offseason. In some cases, as with Earl Little Jr., the Seminoles' top talent priced itself out of Tallahassee; in others, Norvell and the newly hired front office led by general manager John Garrett had to shop off the clearance rack, as with Ashton Daniels. 

One of the few premier talents the Seminoles have brought to Tallahassee in recent years and kept this offseason, however, is 2025 four-star running back Ousmane Kromah. As a true freshman, the Leesburg, Ga. product ran for 408 yards on 72 carries, finishing as FSU’s third-leading rusher behind Tommy Castellanos and Gavin Sawchuk. 

It won’t be Kromah’s job alone in 2026, as FSU added Quintrevion Wisner from Texas in the transfer portal, but if he takes the next step in his development, he should be RB1 for the Seminoles. It seems that development includes shedding some weight, which he did before fall camp, reportedly dropping from 225 pounds to 216. 

While it’s just nine pounds, a transformation like that doesn’t happen by accident. There’s a reason Kromah wanted to play at a lighter weight this year, and it might be to unlock the one aspect his game is still missing. 

Ousmane Kromah may be ready to hunt more explosives out of the backfield

Norvell has described his system as “an offense built for playmakers,” and as he returns to calling the plays for Florida State, Kromah will be one of his biggest ones. He also has a quarterback capable of making plays with his arm and his legs, but who has historically struggled to push the ball downfield and has dealt with turnover issues. Daniels went just 5-16 on throws over 20 yards downfield last season, which was a noticeable improvement over his years at Stanford, and he has 22 interceptions to just 24 career passing touchdowns. 

If Norvell can’t expect many explosive plays from his veteran quarterback, and if he feels the need to protect him to avoid turnovers, FSU could once again be a run-first team that needs to create its chunk plays on the ground. Kromah has already proven he can do that. 

Last season, despite carrying the ball just 72 times, he produced seven runs of 15 or more yards, tied for 14th in the ACC and third among players with fewer than 75 attempts. He’s a big, physical runner who is light on his feet to make defenders miss in space and who has a great feel for setting up his blocks. At 225 pounds, he was tough to bring down, averaging 4.11 yards after contact, but his running style and lack of long speed meant that his longest run of the year was just 23 yards, the lowest of an ACC player with more than two runs of 15+ yards. 

Despite consistently producing ‘breakaway runs’ as PFF dubs runs of 15+ yards, just 31.9 percent of his total yardage came on breakaway runs. Glass half full, that’s a mark of consistent production for a player who averaged 5.6 yards per carry, but glass half empty, it displays a lack of explosiveness that puts a hard ceiling on his upside. 

Maybe now, nine pounds lighter and even lighter than he played in high school, Kromah will add that long-speed element he’s been missing. If he does, it raises the ceiling not just of his upside and efficiency, but of the entire FSU offense. And boy, does this group badly need somebody who can raise the ceiling.

However, if that long speed doesn't come with this transformation and instead it simply makes a back who was once a nightmare to tackle just a bit easy to bring down, it'll be a big problem. Norvell has put a lot of eggs in Kromah's basket, and for him to deliver, he needs this nine-pound gamble to pay off.

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