Trey Sermon Continues Getting Acclimated with Ohio State Culture

Trey Sermon arrived to Columbus this past spring looking to settle into a new home as a graduate transfer, having spent the past three seasons running the ball for Oklahoma.

The sizeable 6-foot-1, 215-pound back experienced just a small taste of spring practice before the CoVID-19 pandemic forced a shutdown. He spent the months since trying to push through, working from a football standpoint while also establishing and building relationships with new teammates.

“It was really tough,” Sermon began to explain. “My mindset at the time was just trying to focus on getting better and staying ready. Once the opportunity came, I didn’t want to be behind. There were tough times, but we all have managed.”

“There were some long conversations with he and his mother,” added Tony Alford, running backs coach. “We kept talking about having faith, learning the offense, staying positive and that things would work out. It’s been hard for everybody, but we stick together as a unit.”

Sermon was part of three Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff teams, ultimately compiling more than 2,000 career rushing yards and 25 touchdowns for the Sooners. When he explored transferring, Alford and company certainly began doing homework.

“We studied all of his film from freshman year through injury,” Alford said during a Tuesday media session. “We also spoke to a lot of the Oklahoma staff and other guys that knew him. There was nothing but rave reviews about the way he prepares. He’s a team guy with an impeccable work ethic.”

An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, Sermon’s best campaign occurred as a sophomore in 2018 when he scampered for 947 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. The latter number ranked him second in the conference.

Coincidentally enough, the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year tallied his first college touchdown at Ohio Stadium a few years back when he corralled a 10-yard toss from Baker Mayfield. He most recently played the first nine games for Oklahoma in 2019 before a season-ending injury, and then decided to spend his final year of eligibility elsewhere.

“They (Ohio State) have a great coaching staff and great players, many of which I have known from the recruiting world,” said Sermon, originally from Marietta, Ga. “How they use and distribute the ball to running backs feels like a similar system to Oklahoma. I felt it would be the best opportunity for me.”

He will now be competing for snaps at a rather deep and capable position group, appearing to be in line for an early 50-50 split with returning all All-Big Ten performer Master Teague III. Sermon is definitely longer than Teague and other recent Buckeyes like J.K. Dobbins, Mike Webber and Ezekiel Elliott, who feature more of a stockier build with bulky thighs. But Sermon still presents his share of issues for opposing defenses.

“He has deceptive speed,” Alford explained. “It doesn’t really look like he’s going, and then you look up and he’s covering a lot of ground. He is also good out of the backfield catching the ball and running routes. I think he’s a tough guy.”

“I’m thankful to be in the room with guys like Master, Steele (Chambers), Xavier (Johnson) and others,” Sermon said. “They are all great guys and we come in to compete every day.”

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