Florida State had a remarkable run leading up to the conclusion of the Early Signing Period, landing multiple blue-chip prospects during the final days of the December cycle. There weren’t many bigger moves nationally than the program flipping top-100 prospect and four-star running back, Ousmane Kromah, from the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Seminoles built a multi-year relationship with Kromah and continued to push for his services despite his initial pledge to Georgia. He visited Tallahassee shortly before putting pen to paper, giving FSU an opportunity to get Kromah to reconsider his decision.
“Four years, four-year process,” Norvell said to Warchant’s Matt LaSerre. “There’s not one player, I told Ousmane this, there’s not a player that I watched more in my coaching career live than him.”
Norvell originally laid his eyes on the talented running back when Kromah was a freshman at Lee County High School. Kromah put on a show and Norvell was sold.
“They were playing Lowndes, and really didn’t know much about him,” Norvell said. “I mean, I came out on a field, I saw that there was a freshman starting at running back. He was 6-foot-1, 200 pounds at the time, and 215 yards later, I left the field. I said, ‘I don’t know anything about it, we’re gonna figure it out, and we’re offering him on Monday.’”
Following a 2-10 campaign, Norvell credited his entire staff for their work to get Kromah into the boat. The head coach believes it’s as big a signing as any that he has landed during his tenure with the Seminoles.
“To be able to get him was big … especially the season we’re coming off. It’s somebody that’s believing in what’s ahead rather than what just happened, and believing he’s gonna be able to come in and be a spark, be a difference-maker in that,” Norvell said. “It was as big of a signing, I think, as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
