Kromah, Davis give Seminoles southwest Georgia flavor in showdown with Tide

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State doesn’t often get to ease into a season, and 2025 is no exception. The Seminoles open Saturday against No. 8 Alabama, a program that seldom requires introduction. Doak Campbell Stadium will be full, the lights bright, the stakes obvious.

Coach Mike Norvell knows what’s coming. He’s spoken often this August about the fight in his team, the competitiveness that has marked camp.

“We’ve got a great group of young men,” Norvell said this week. “What better way to kick it off than here at Doak Campbell Stadium, sold-out crowd … against a quality opponent, top-10 ranked team.”

The Seminoles, once a College Football Playoff fixture, fell hard last year at 2-10. This season opener offers a chance to prove the slide was temporary. Norvell overhauled his staff, bringing in Gus Malzahn to call plays and Tony White to run the defense. The roster, bolstered by 49 newcomers, is younger, faster, and hungrier.

Among those newcomers is Ousmane Kromah, a freshman running back from Lee County in Leesburg. Kromah was a top-100 national recruit and landed on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year watch list before playing a down in college. He ran for nearly 6,000 yards in high school and added 19 receiving touchdowns.

“He’s explosive in and out of holes,” Norvell said during camp. “Still developing toughness, but nobody’s more fun to work with.”

Kromah won’t be asked to carry the offense — not yet — but his speed and vision are impossible to ignore. If FSU needs a spark, it could come from a true freshman wearing garnet and gold but carrying plenty of southwest Georgia with him.

Kromah won’t be alone in representing the Albany area. Kam Davis, the Dougherty High product now in his sophomore season, showed flashes last year with 173 rushing yards and a strong finish against Charleston Southern. Healthy after missing time with injury, Davis adds depth to a running back room that also features veteran Roydell Williams and transfer Gavin Sawchuk.

All of it funnels back to the line of scrimmage. Alabama, under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer, is still Alabama — deep, physical and prone to overwhelming opponents with size and speed.

“This is a team that if you don’t bring it every snap, they absolutely will expose you,” Norvell said.

Florida State is 4-2 all time in openers against SEC teams, including a 2023 win over LSU. The Seminoles have never faced Alabama in Tallahassee. The Tide leads the series 3-1-1.

The stage is big, even if Texas-Ohio State may draw more national eyeballs. For Florida State, though, there’s no bigger game. New staff, new players, new energy, same challenge: Beat Alabama, and everything else suddenly seems possible.