FANTASTIC FIFTEEN: Lee County’s Ousmane Kromah finds excellence in football, academics

Editor’s note: This is the final part of a series highlighting some of the top high school football players in Albany and Lee County. In the past, it has been the “Dynamite Dozen” but this season it will be the “Fantastic Fifteen.”

LEESBURG — For many people in southwest Georgia, his name is difficult to pronounce and understand, but his performance on the football field and the classroom is what really stands out for Lee County’s sophomore running back, Ousmane Kromah.

As a freshman, Kromah rushed for more than 1,700 yards and scored 23 touchdowns — and was named the Georgia freshman running back of the year. He says he can do better this season.

“Last year, I really didn’t know the system for the offense,” he said. “Now, they have educated me. I know more than I did last year. I think this year I will be catching the ball out of the backfield more, so I think it should be easy to get more yards and touchdowns.”

Kromah had an impressive start to the season Friday night with 216 yards on 20 carries against the state’s top-ranked and last year’s Class AAAAA state champion Warner Robins Demons.

Not only has Kromah already earned a football scholarship offer from the University of Alabama and several other schools, he also has a 4.0 GPA and intends to study robotics, engineering or biology when he does get to college. At Lee County, Biology and Occupational Safety are his favorite subjects.

Kromah is the son of Elizabeth Teah, who immigrated from Liberia years ago. She came to the United States to create a better life for her and her children, but still works hard to support her children. She moved the family down to Lee County when Kromah was about 5 or 6 years old. Kromah’s brother, Omar, is a senior wide receiver for the Trojans. His older brother Mustafa played on the Trojans’ 2017-18 state championship team. It is Kromah’s mother who motivates the Lee County running back.

“I see how my mom struggles and has to work so hard,” Kromah said. “I want to make her proud and I want her to see her son on TV one day. But I’m not really thinking about recruiting and college right now. I figure I will take care of that when I am a senior. Right now I am thinking about this year and my team.”

Kromah, who is also an important player on the Lee County basketball team and intends to be on the track and team next spring, got his start with football when he was 6. Just after his family moved from Atlanta to this area, he and his brother saw a flier about football at Sherwood Elementary and decided they wanted to play. And his coach saw him as a youngster.

“Ousmane is a kid I can remember watching play in elementary school and I knew he was going to be a great athlete for us,” said Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio. “His older brother Mustafa played for us on our 17-18 state teams. But Ousmane certainly exceeded our expectations last year as a freshman. And the great thing about Ousmane is that as good as a football player he is, he is even a better person. He is very humble, a good student and conscientious of his teammates.”

Kromah has had only one year of high school football so far, but he said his favorite memory of playing football was when he got the call from his coach that he would be starting as a freshman.

“I thought they were just putting me on the team as a freshman just to help me get better, but then they called and said I was starting,” he said. “That was exciting to me.”

Special Photo: Joe Whitfield