Florida State’s ground game came alive in a big way against New Mexico State, and Ousmane Kromah was at the center of it.
The sophomore running back delivered a career-best 115 rushing yards in the Seminoles’ 34-17 win, adding his first collegiate touchdown on a one-yard score in the fourth quarter. He also put together the kind of performance that turns heads beyond the box score: Pro Football Focus named him its highest-graded running back of the week with a 90.6.
Kromah didn’t leave the game thinking only about what went right, though. He had one more run in mind. After breaking loose for 52 yards earlier in the fourth quarter, he felt he should have taken it all the way.
"I should have had two. My mom let me know after the game," Kromah said and laughed.
"It was one of those things where I was like 'yeah.' That big run, if I just kept a little bit to the left.
I was gone. But I wasn't tripping.
It was exciting, and it was great."
Even with that playful self-critique, it was a night that marked a clear jump for Kromah. He became the first Seminole since Lawrence Toafili to top 100 rushing yards in a game since the ACC title game in 2023, and his 115 yards in the opener as a sophomore already surpassed the 111 yards he totaled across his first three freshman games.
That production fits the profile Florida State expected when it landed the former 4-star recruit out of Georgia’s Lee County. Kromah finished his debut season in Tallahassee with 555 total yards and one receiving touchdown, and now he enters year two as the featured back in Kam Martin’s room.
Martin hasn’t hidden what he sees in him.
"Ous[mane]'s ceiling is what he can make it," Martin said. "When I first got the job here, he was a guy that I was like, 'Hey, this guy right here, if he can continue to work hard and strain himself, he can be special."
Martin pointed to Kromah’s blend of power and burst as the reason that ceiling looks so high. At 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, Kromah has the size to handle contact between the tackles and the quickness to create explosive plays when space opens up.
That combination showed up against New Mexico State, and Florida State will need it again when the Seminoles face No. 19 SMU in the ACC opener. Florida State ran for 220 yards in the win, with Samuel Singleton Jr. adding 42 on the ground and finishing with 164 total yards of offense.
For Kromah, the focus is simple as the schedule turns to Labor Day. He isn’t spending much time talking about proving anything. He’s just sticking to his own game.
"I just got to do what I got to do, and I'm going to do me. That's really all that's going to happen," Kromah said.
"We're going to have to do us. We can't worry about everybody else."
In Other News...
Florida State Already Faces Pressure To Hold Onto A Key Commit
Florida States 2027 class is already feeling the strain of an uncertain future, and ZaKari Johnson has become the latest reminder of how quickly a commitment can wobble. The 4-star athlete, originally pledged to the Seminoles, now appears to have reopened his recruitment, with Texas A&M bringing him in for a visit as it continues to push hard for one of the more versatile prospects on Florida States board.
Johnsons value goes beyond one position, since he projects as both a wide receiver and defensive back, the kind of athlete programs covet when they are trying to build around talent and flexibility. For Florida State, the concern is not just losing a recruit, but having to sell stability at a time when coaching questions and financial realities make it harder to stand toe-to-toe with a resource-heavy suitor like Texas A&M. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Just Sent A Powerful Message About Its National Pull
Florida States Week 0 meeting with New Mexico State did more than open the season on a winning note. It also gave The CW a college football audience it had never seen before, with the broadcast pulling record-setting interest for the network and underscoring just how much the Seminoles still matter nationally, even after a stretch of uneven results on the field.
For Florida State, the numbers fed into a bigger conversation about the programs reach and relevance as it continues its legal fight with the ACC. The backdrop matters because the Seminoles are trying to prove they remain a major national draw, the kind of brand that travels beyond wins and losses and can command attention wherever it lands. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Running Backs Think Last Week Was Only The Beginning
Kam Martin liked what he saw from Sam Singleton Jr. after last weeks performance, but the Florida State running backs coach was quick to frame it as a step rather than a finish line. The Seminoles backfield has shown enough to draw attention, and Martins message was clear: the group needs to keep stacking good work if it wants to keep turning flashes into something more dependable.
There is also a competitive edge still hanging over the room, especially after the kind of chances that can leave a player wanting more. Ousmane Kromah came away from the New Mexico State game feeling there was more production available, and that sort of standard tends to travel well in a position group trying to raise its ceiling. For Florida State, the next stretch will show whether last week was a launch point or just a promising opening act. [Read more 🡒]