Antonio Cromartie Jr. explains recruitment to FSU, following in his father's footsteps

Carrollton (Ga.) High defensive back Antonio Cromartie Jr. announced his commitment to Florida State on January 13 following an official visit to Tallahassee. Cromartie Jr. will follow in the steps of his father, Antonio Cromartie Sr., who played at Florida State from 2003-2005.

Cromartie Sr. emerged as one of the great defensive backs in the NFL during his time in the league, earning a First Team All-Pro selection in 2007 along with four Pro Bowl selections (2007, 2012-2014). His son will now look to follow in his footsteps at a Seminole program looking to rebuild after a disastrous 2024 campaign.

The legacy ‘Nole explained his recruitment to Florida State and discussed following in his father’s footsteps.

“I feel like for me it was like, I always loved Florida State,” Cromartie Jr. said. “I grew up around it, so obviously I was at every game when I was little. It’s kind of been like a dream to come play here. So in my opinion, why not continue that legacy that he had here. Obviously, he was a great player here and now it’s my time to fill out my path.”

Cromartie Jr. reveals he enjoys being a legacy recruit

As a senior, Cromartie Jr. posted 85 tackles, four forced fumbles, an interception and four pass breakups for a Carrollton team that advanced to the Georgia 6A State Championship game. He received an offer from Florida State on Christmas last year.

“I kinda love being a legacy kid,” Cromartie Jr. continued. “I kinda try to get more legacy kids here because I feel like it’s a great opportunity to continue that. That’s my biggest thing is continuing that legacy of greatness. To be on that path of being a great defensive back or greater than he was, he always tells me he wants me to be better than he ever was. So that’s my goal, is to strive better than he ever was.”

“The way their defense is,” Cromartie Jr. said of what stood out about the program following his commitment. “Coach (Tony) White’s defense looks different from any other defense and they play a lot of DBs. With my versatility the coaches want me to play all of those positions.”

“I love the way all of their coaches coach. They push everybody. They don’t treat anybody different just because of who they are and I like that because I want to earn everything while I’m there. I don’t wanna be handed anything.”

Cromartie Jr. is one of 23 members in Florida State‘s 2025 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 20 in the country.