Antonio Cromartie Pumped For Son's Commitment To Florida State, 'Surreal'

Antonio Cromartie's son will follow in his father's footsteps and play defensive back at Florida State ... and Dad tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be happier about it!!

Antonio Cromartie Jr. -- a teenager who plays his high school ball at Carrollton H.S. in Georgia -- just committed to the Seminoles earlier this month ... and when we sat down with Sr. this week, the former NFL superstar called the whole thing "surreal."

Cromartie Sr. -- who played for FSU in 2003 and 2004 -- said the offer from Florida State came from the Noles' coaching staff on Christmas ... and he said it was "better than any gift I could give" his son.

Days later, the duo made the trip to Tallahassee for a visit -- and then Cromartie Jr. committed to the program.

Jr. was just as thrilled as Dad with the decision ... explaining to us, "I've always dreamed of playing at Florida State as a kid and now that it's here, I'm grateful."

As a member of the 2025 class, Cromartie Jr. will head to campus in just a few months ... and Sr. told us over the next few weeks they'll begin learning how to prepare for the college game in earnest.

Cromartie Sr. said they'll watch tape and train hard ... with the hopes it'll allow Jr. to play faster as a freshman.

As for what the Seminoles can expect out of the younger Cromartie when he eventually dons the FSU helmet and pads ... he said it's simple -- they're getting a ball hawk.