Ousmane Kromah has found the end zone in each of Florida State’s first two games, but his impact on the Seminoles’ offense has gone well beyond the scoreboard.
The sophomore running back has quickly become one of the key pieces of the Florida State offense, opening the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances.
Through two games, Kromah has already rushed for 231 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries.
His start builds on a freshman season in which he finished with 408 rushing yards on 72
carries while adding nine receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown.
For running backs coach Kam Martin, Kromah’s combination of size, movement and natural ability gives him a skill set that does not always need to be overcoached.
“With a running back, you try not to overcoach him,” Martin said earlier this month. “You know, he’s a guy I try not to overcoach on a lot of things because he has different skill sets than a lot of guys. He’s a big back that can move and break tackles, he’s very shifty and he makes some cuts that a lot of guys don’t make.”
Martin has seen that athleticism show up in ways that can be difficult to predict.
“You never know what you’re gonna get out of Ous,” Martin said. “He might jump up and hurdle a guy and keep going. He’s a freak athlete, man, and it’s really a blessing to coach him.”
Kromah also recognizes that much of what he does with the ball comes naturally, but that has not stopped him from working on the details of his game.
“I feel like majority of everything I do was like natural, but like we hit on certain things at practice, like during (individual drills) and during ball drills at the end of practice, just to make sure the natural things (are) better,” Kromah said in the days after FSU’s season-opening win over New Mexico State.
Kromah was named the running back on Pro Football Focus’ Week 0 Team of the Week, but Martin made it clear that the recognition only raises the standard for what comes next.
“You have to grade them hard, and I felt like Ous, he kind of graded out, you know, pretty well,” Martin said. “But it’s obviously, like I said, things that he has to continue to work on, and he knows that if he wants to continue to be the dominant player like he is, he knows that he has to continue to take that next step to be the best.”
The Seminoles now turn their attention toward Alabama following a difficult loss to SMU. With outside noise surrounding Florida State, Kromah’s approach has remained centered on what he and his teammates can control.
“I just got to do what I got to do, and I’m gonna do me for me,” Kromah said. “We’re gonna have to do us. We can’t worry about everybody else.”
Kromah saw limited opportunities against the Crimson Tide last season, finishing with 31 yards on seven carries and adding a seven-yard reception. This time around, he enters the matchup with a much larger role in Florida State’s backfield and the first two 100-yard performances of his career under his belt.
Alongside Samuel Singleton Jr., Kromah has given quarterback Ashton Daniels another weapon to rely on as the Seminoles continue developing their offense.
While Kromah has already shown what he can provide through the first two games of his sophomore season, Martin believes there is still another level for the young running back to reach.
“This guy right here, if he can continue to work hard and strain himself, he can be special,” Martin said. “He knows that he has the tools.”
