As we get closer to the start of preseason camp and the return of football, I am just going to sit down and write about each position as we arrive at the run-up to the 2025 season. I continue the series by looking at the running back room.
It is tough and probably wholeheartedly unfair to draw any legitimate predictions for 2025 from 2024 with regard to the group, but there are numbers worth looking at from last year’s abysmal campaign.
FSU’s rushing attack in 2024 was historically poor. As a team, FSU averaged 2.9 yards per rush. The Seminoles had just eight rushing touchdowns as a team over 12 games. The room didn’t produce, and a part of the reason is they were often dead on arrival because of an array of issues, starting with poor blocking upfront and a relatively inept passing game that took no pressure off of the ground game. FSU certainly didn’t play any type of complementary football on the offensive side of the ball in 2024 and I would argue that is because the offensive line didn’t allow it to even try to.
FSU’s leading returning rusher from last season is sophomore running back Kam Davis, who finished the season with 173 yards on 52 carries (3.3 yards per carry). Of FSU’s total rushing yards last season, around 39% of that production returns in the running back room. The biggest departure was running back Lawrance Toafili, who produced just over 42% of FSU’s total gains on the ground.
The above stats come with some asterisks. Davis played in just nine games and was banged up for several that he participated in. Roydell Williams (53 rushing yards) played in just four games due to an injury sustained in practice early in the season. Jaylin Lucas (13 yards) saw action in just two games before a season-ending injury. Also, Micahi Danzy (5 yards) has moved from the position to wide receiver for this coming year, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be infused into the rushing attack, though.
FSU went and added freshman Ousmane Kromah, a major recruiting win for Mike Norvell and company last cycle, and also brought in redshirt junior transfer Gavin Sawchuk, from Oklahoma. Kromah came at a strong price tag, which in this day-and-age is fairly indicative of an intended commitment to usage and role, is a talented runner and a nice mismatch in the passing game at the position. Sawchuk, who appeared in 23 games with 11 starts for Oklahoma from 2022-24 and averaged 5.6 yards per rush, rushing 176 times for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns while with the Sooners, is viewed as adding experience and potential explosiveness.
What will the FSU rushing attack be in 2025?
Beyond the individuals in the room performing to a certain level, a lot of that is going to depend on a few factors.
A new offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, has a tradition of running the ball. His system, while sharing some similarities to Norvell, will obviously be an adjustment to returning players. Each of Malzahn’s last three UCF teams produced a top-10 rushing attack as the Knights ranked seventh in 2024 with an average of 248.1 yards per game after ranking fourth in 2023 and ninth in 2022. In 2022, it was a group attack at the top, while 2023 and 2024, he had one back (R.J. Harvey) lead the way.
FSU will have a different quarterback, Tommy Castellanos, one viewed as far more of a scrambler than the individual he is replacing, and that could certainly help to loosen things up for the backs and alleviate pressure with regards to who goes about gaining yards on the ground.
They have also revamped their offensive line with hopes of not being DOA, as they were far too often last year.
How all those pieces come together is going to strongly influence the success of the running back room.
Focusing solely on the backs, I think it is a by-committee approach, at least out of the gate.
Williams earned praise from multiple staff members, including Malzahn, and appears destined to enter camp as the No. 1 back for the Seminoles.
FSU certainly went out and acquired two backs for a reason and that is likely to provide more talent, competition, and variety to the room. Kromah, who didn’t arrive until the summer, has received plenty of praise as a prospect and now an enrollee, but there is always a learning curve for a freshman back, so how quickly he takes to the system, and the speed of the collegiate game, will influence how much he can take command of the room. Sawchuk, who had a strong game against FSU in the Cheez-It Bowl at the end of the 2022 season, is someone FSU valued as an explosive option that they believe can be a game-changer.
Improved play by Davis will be the key to him earning a role and an influence on his usage in the room.
Lucas, a versatile playmaker, will find a role but it likely never will be as a between the tackles runner on the regular.
Others like Caziah Holmes and Samuel Singleton will also likely be given opportunities, as the Seminoles under Norvell and the backs under position coach David Johnson have always had a sum of all parts approach.
I’m of the belief that FSU’s offensive attack is going to be run-heavy and certainly set up by the run. Obviously they are banking on an offensive line that gives them a chance. I believe the acquisition of Castellanos was to obviously help that cause too. The running backs will need to carry their load, too. While I view it as a committee approach out of the gate, I am interested how it evolves over the season – with a specific focus on if Kromah can become that guy for them – or if it is similar to 2022 when Harvey began to really emerge for the Knights but was a cog in the machine, too.
