Florida State is heading into Week 3 with a familiar kind of assignment: go to Tuscaloosa and try to knock off No. 10 Alabama. The Crimson Tide have one of the most intimidating rosters in college football this season, and after the loss to the Seminoles from 2025 is still hanging around, plenty of people are expecting this one to tilt heavily in Alabama’s favor.
But Florida State has already shown it can walk into this kind of spot and pull off something few saw coming. The issue is that the Seminoles haven’t carried that momentum forward, and the start to 2026 has followed the same frustrating pattern. If they’re going to pull another shocker, it won’t happen without a few players delivering big-time performances.
The clearest offensive key is sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah, who has been the engine of a Florida State attack that hasn’t offered much else. Through two games, he has piled up 36 carries, 231 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and he’s topped 100 rushing yards with a score in both contests.
He’s also ripped off multiple runs of more than 50 yards, and his blend of power and burst has made him a problem early on. His 6.4 yards per carry tells the story.
Alabama has given up just 65 rushing yards across its first two games, with Devan Thompkins anchoring a very strong front, so Florida State can’t afford to get shoved off schedule the way Kentucky did. If the run game stalls, the Seminoles could be stuck.
Duce Robinson needs to make plays too, but Kromah’s ability to keep the offense moving on the ground may be the piece that matters most, especially with Kalen DeBoer familiar with Ashton Daniels and the weaknesses that could push Florida State even more toward the run.
On the other side of the ball, Florida State needs Ja'Bril Rawls to look like the player many expected him to become this season. Rawls entered 2026 with plenty of buzz after taking on a bigger role in 2025, but coverage problems, communication breakdowns and early injury issues have slowed the Seminoles’ secondary.
He’s nearly back to full health now, and Florida State needs his best game of the year if it wants any shot at stopping Alabama. Rawls had six tackles and a pass defense in last season’s win over the Crimson Tide, though there were still too many big completions allowed.
That matters even more now, because the Seminoles don’t look equipped to win a shootout with the offense the way it’s been playing. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 256 yards against East Carolina, but the Crimson Tide leaned on the run to get the win, and Russell also had two interceptions and a lost fumble.
A veteran defensive back like Rawls could make life miserable if those mistakes show up again.
The biggest wild card might be Mandrell Desir, who has to turn his season around in a hurry. The defensive lineman transferred with his brother, Darryll, and came in with a notable raise, but so far he has barely made a dent.
He managed only four tackles through two games, struggled to pressure the New Mexico State offensive line and didn’t record a tackle or a sack against SMU. That’s a sharp contrast from what he did as a freshman in 2025, when he posted 6.5 sacks and 24 pressures.
Desir also added to the noise with comments toward fans on social media, so a big night would go a long way toward changing the conversation. Russell has already been sacked five times this season, and Florida State needs that pressure to keep coming in Tuscaloosa.
Desir is still the Seminoles’ most talented defensive lineman, and they need him to play like it.
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Leaving Colorado Would Take More Than Florida State Interest
Deion Sanders has Colorado off to a 2-0 start in 2026, a sharp follow-up to the Buffaloes 3-9 finish a year ago, and that alone makes any talk of a possible Florida State reunion more complicated than simple nostalgia. Florida States opening would naturally stir interest because Sanders is still tied to the programs history, but the situation comes with some real-world hurdles, including the buyout attached to his Colorado contract and the kind of control he has built with the Buffaloes.
Colorado has given Sanders the autonomy coaches usually spend years trying to earn, and he would have to weigh that against a return to Tallahassee, where the job landscape is also shifting after recent administrative changes. Even before the money comes into focus, there is the matter of how the school previously handled him, which adds another layer to any pursuit. For now, the Seminoles may need a new coach, but getting Sanders would require more than just mutual interest. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Is Paying Like A Contender Without Looking Like One
Florida State is investing like a program that expects to live in the playoff conversation, with an estimated roster spend somewhere between $23 million and $30 million for its 105-player roster. That figure puts the Seminoles behind only Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech in the ACC spending race, a sign of how aggressively the school has tried to build around football even as the results have not kept pace.
The problem is the return on that money has been hard to see, with Florida State sitting at 8-18 over its last 26 games. The concerns go beyond the overall ledger and into how the dollars are being allocated, especially at quarterback, while the program also works through the leadership vacuum left by the firing of athletic director Michael Alford. For a team spending at that level, the next step is not just more money - it is proving the structure behind it can actually produce wins. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Is Leaning On Quindarrius Jones In A Brutal Test
Quindarrius Jones has already become one of Florida States most important defensive pieces early in the 2026 season, flashing the kind of playmaking that can swing a game in a hurry. The cornerback has been around the football, stacking interceptions and forcing fumbles while giving the Seminoles a reliable presence on the back end as they continue to sort through a demanding schedule.
Now the test gets much sharper with Alabama on deck, and Jones is expected to be in the middle of it. Keelon Russell and Ryan Coleman-Williams give the Crimson Tide a passing combination that can stress a secondary in multiple ways, and Florida State will need Jones to carry over his early-season impact against a group that can turn one coverage mistake into a long night. [Read more 🡒]