2025 has come and gone for Florida State football and though there was improvement in the overall record, the results still fell short of Seminole expectations. With next season make-or-break for head coach Mike Norvell, how he and his staff navigate the roster could save his job or end his embattled tenure in Tallahassee. How did each position group do last season and what does the future look like?
The Seminoles relied on a stable of running backs for the 2025 season. In total, Florida State gave
four different running backs 25+ carries and eight backs 15+ carries. Even with all of the options, the player with the most carries (137), rushing touchdowns (9) and yards (557) was quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Did FSU’s choice of running back by committee prove effective this year?
FSU running back performance: 2024 vs. 2025 comparison
2025: Team rushing yards: 2,624 (5.2 yards per carry); 22nd best PFF run score (89.4 overall)
- Gavin Sawchuk: 486 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns, 75.0 PFF run score
- Ousmane Kromah: 408 rushing yards, 80.2 PFF run score
- Samuel Singleton Jr.: 360 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns, 85.3 PFF run score
2024: Team rushing yards: 1,079 (2.9 yards per carry); 122nd best PFF run score (72.2 overall)
- Lawrance Toafili: 456 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns, 62.9 PFF run score
- Kam Davis: 173 rushing yards, 66.6 PFF run score
- Samuel Singleton Jr.: 93 rushing yards, 65.6 PFF run score
The results on paper are hard to argue with. The running game jumped over 1,500 yards and nearly doubled their average yards per carry. Still the decision to spread the carries so thin led to inconsistent results late in the game as most backs never received the opportunity to stay in a standard game flow.
2026 quarterback recruiting
The Seminoles signed Amari Thomas for the #Tribe26 class — from our own NoleThruandThru:
“…a local playmaker who amassed over 4,500 yards and 75 touchdowns in three seasons of varsity ball…love his hands and ability in the passing game, and I think he could play a similar role as Lawrance Toafili.”
2026 projected depth (2025 class)
- Redshirt junior Gavin Sawchuk
- Career stats: 1,463 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns
- Freshman Ousmane Kromah
- Career stats: 408 rushing yards
- Redshirt sophomore Samuel Singleton Jr.
- Career stats: 509 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
2026 outlook
Overall, the Seminoles are in a great spot at running back. If the offensive staff chooses to do so, they can avoid the transfer portal at this position and utilize the current group that makes up this room. Sawchuk is a reliable veteran while Singleton and Kromah both have potential to breakout in the upcoming year.
