Ousmane Kromah named to freshman watch list

Staff Reports

TALLAHASSEE — Ousmane Kromah hasn’t played a down of college football yet, but his name is already circulating on the national stage.

Florida State’s freshman running back — the same kid who bulldozed through defenses at Lee County High School — has landed on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Watch List. The award goes to the top first-year player in the country, and Kromah is one of the names to know.

If that sounds like a lot of hype for a true freshman, consider the résumé. From Leesburg, Kromah was a top-100 recruit in the 2025 class, a member of the AJC’s Super 11 and the Albany Herald Fantastic Fifteen, and a two-time Region 1-6A Player of the Year. His career numbers at Lee County look like something out of a video game: 4,643 rushing yards, 55 rushing touchdowns, plus another 19 scores as a receiver.

The Trojans rode him hard and often. As a junior, he toted the ball 182 times for 1,783 yards and piled up 29 touchdowns. As a senior, he finished with 1,356 rushing yards and 15 scores while helping Lee County reach the Class 5A semifinals with a 13-1 record. And it wasn’t just football — Kromah was a double-double machine on the basketball court in 2023.

Now he’ll take the field for the first time in garnet and gold on one of the season’s biggest stages: Florida State opens against Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in a game televised nationally by ABC.

It’s a long way from Leesburg to Doak Campbell Stadium, but Kromah has made a career of turning big moments into bigger headlines. Florida State thinks he’s ready to do it again.