The Ousmane Kromah hype should force Mike Norvell to abandon a committee approach

From the start of fall camp, it seemed that something was different with sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah. He was already a breakout candidate for 2026, but the buzz keeps growing louder as Week 0 gets closer. And if he lives up to the hype, he can carry a run-heavy Seminoles’ attack and put any ideas of a running back committee in Tallahassee to rest.

A top-five back in the country by 247Sports Composite in the 2025 class, Kromah ran for 408 yards on 72 carries as a true freshman. He was behind Gavin Sawchuk at running back, and quarterback Tommy Castellanos led the team in carries for offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. 

Now, with head coach Mike Norvell back on the headset, it’s becoming clear that Kromah is RB1, as Pete Nakos reported for On3 on Tuesday, but the question now is how big the gap in touches will be between him, Quintrevion Wisner and Samuel Singleton Jr. 

Ousmane Kromah deserves the chance to prove he can be a work-horse back

Wisner was always an interesting transfer portal pickup for a team with Kromah coming back for a sophomore season. However, the logic of having a trustworthy veteran to fill the gaps in Kromah’s game tracked, especially with Norvell’s history of making multi-back offenses work. 

Wisner and Singleton are both worthy of carries, but the Kromah hype train is now up to full speed ahead of Florida State’s Week 0 opener against New Mexico State, so it begs the question: what if there aren’t any holes in Kromah’s game? He was a solid pass-catcher last year, bringing in nine of his 11 targets for 147 yards, and acquitted himself relatively well as a pass-blocker in just 23 opportunities. 

At 6-foot-1, 216 pounds, Kromah not only has the size to take on linebackers and keep Ashton Daniels clean, but he’s built to withstand the rigors of a long college football season as a bell-cow or workhorse back. 

Last season, carried the ball more than 10 times in a game just twice. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry for the season and was more efficient than explosive. He has the short-area quickness to make the first defender miss, and the physicality to finish runs falling forward; the ideal back to keep an offense in advantageous down and distance. 

However, you could tell he knew there wouldn’t be many opportunities. He often attempted to bounce runs outside and look for the home run, rather than taking what was blocked for. Former running backs coach David Johnson had a heavy rotation that didn’t allow FSU’s ball-carrier to find a rhythm last season. 

His replacement, Kam Martin, has professed to ride the hot hand, so that could mean a steady diet of Kromah early in the season. And if he looks the part against New Mexico State in Week 0, and more importantly in Week 1 vs. SMU, that reliance should continue. 

Ousmane Kromah could be FSU’s biggest ACC advantage

There aren’t many positions where Florida State will have an edge over the rest of the ACC. The Seminoles certainly don’t have the No. 1 quarterback, and a rebuilt offensive line won’t match Miami’s five-man group. 

Duce Robinson was a first-team All-ACC selection at wide receiver last season, but even if Micahi Danzy becomes a more nuanced route-runner on the other side, FSU is likely starting true freshman Jasen Lopez in the slot, so there are question marks. 

Louisville and Miami both have strong backfields, but the Mark Fletcher Jr. who showed up in the CFP for Miami last year wasn’t the same player Carson Beck was handing the ball off to all year. At Louisville, Isaac Brown is a human highlight reel, but he can’t stay on the field and began fall camp banged up. 

There’s for Kromah to plant his flag atop the ACC’s running back hierarchy, and if he does, it could meaningfully alter FSU’s outlook for the season. There’s no guarantee the hype will carry over, but Norvell’s back is against the wall after back-to-back losing seasons, so his best chance might be to abandon thoughts of a committee, bet on Kromah making a major leap forward in Year 2, and run the wheels off his second-year running back.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow