Mike Norvell’s future in 2026 is already hanging over Florida State, and that reality has made every roster decision this offseason feel a little sharper. The Seminoles have had to make do in some places and hold onto real talent in others, and one of the biggest keeps has been 2025 four-star running back Ousmane Kromah.
Kromah arrived in Tallahassee with plenty of promise and backed it up as a true freshman. The Leesburg, Ga. native rushed for 408 yards on 72 carries and finished as Florida State’s third-leading rusher behind Tommy Castellanos and Gavin Sawchuk.
With Quintrevion Wisner now in the mix after transferring in from Texas, Kromah does not have the backfield to himself. Still, if his development keeps moving forward, he should be the Seminoles’ RB1.
Part of that growth has already shown up before fall camp. Kromah reportedly dropped from 225 pounds to 216, a noticeable change for a player whose frame and style already made him difficult to handle. That kind of shift does not happen by accident, and it points to a specific goal: adding another gear to his game.
That matters because Florida State may need Kromah to be the source of its biggest plays. Mike Norvell has called his system “an offense built for playmakers,” and with him back to calling plays, Kromah is one of the most important ones on the roster.
The quarterback situation also shapes the picture. Ashton Daniels can make plays with both his arm and legs, but he has not consistently pushed the ball downfield and has had turnover issues.
Last season, he went 5-16 on throws over 20 yards downfield, which was an improvement from his Stanford years, and he has 22 interceptions against 24 career passing touchdowns.
If Norvell is not expecting many explosive passes from Daniels, Florida State may again lean on the run to create chunk gains. Kromah already showed he can help there.
Even with only 72 carries, he had seven runs of 15 or more yards, tied for 14th in the ACC and third among players with fewer than 75 attempts. He runs with power, slips defenders in space, and has a strong feel for setting up blocks.
At 225 pounds, he was hard to bring down, averaging 4.11 yards after contact.
The tradeoff was that his style did not produce much true breakaway speed. His longest run last season was only 23 yards, the lowest by any ACC player with more than two runs of 15-plus yards.
By PFF’s definition, those 15-yard gains count as breakaway runs, and Kromah got plenty of them, but just 31.9 percent of his total yardage came on those plays. That can be read two ways: steady production, or a ceiling that still needs to be broken through.
Now the question is whether the lighter version of Kromah can unlock that missing layer. If the weight loss helps him hit more long runs, it could lift not just his own efficiency and upside, but Florida State’s offense as a whole.
If it does not, and the change only makes him easier to tackle, then it becomes a much bigger concern. Norvell has put a lot into Kromah, and this nine-pound gamble may end up telling the story of his second year.
In Other News...
Ashton Daniels Is Already Being Written Off At Florida State
Ashton Daniels has already been pushed to the margins in the national conversation heading into the 2026 season, even though Florida State brought him in as a graduate transfer with a chance to reshape its quarterback room. The path is familiar enough by now: he started at Stanford, moved on to Auburn, and then landed in Tallahassee, carrying the kind of mixed rsum that tends to make evaluators hesitate. The passing numbers have not always matched the promise, but Daniels has never looked like a one-dimensional quarterback.
What keeps him interesting for Florida State is the element that does not always show up in rankings, especially for a system that can reward movement and improvisation. Daniels has built a real body of work as a runner, and that dual-threat ability is part of why some around the program still see him as a dark horse fit for Mike Norvells offense. For now, though, the national perception has been lukewarm at best, and that leaves Daniels with a familiar task: forcing people to notice him instead of waiting for them to come around. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Faces A Growing Recruiting Problem Mike Norvell Cannot Ignore
Brysen Wrights recruitment is another reminder that Florida State is no longer selling only brand name and history. The five-star wide receiver has the Seminoles in his top five, but his family is looking hard at whether a program can back up its pitch with real offensive success, and that puts Mike Norvell in a tougher spot than he was a few years ago. Florida State can still point to its recent resurgence, but the conversation around elite receivers has shifted toward programs that can show a clearer track record of producing big plays and winning at the highest level.
For the Seminoles, the challenge is not simply landing another blue-chip target, it is convincing him that the offense is headed in the right direction right now. Rival schools with more convincing recent rsums have an obvious edge, and Florida States current struggles on that side of the ball only make the sales job harder. Norvell still has the chance to sell the programs upside, but with Wrights camp prioritizing proven results, the Seminoles may need more than hope and potential to stay in the race. [Read more 🡒]