Ohio State just added a much-needed boost of experience and proven playmaking ability to its running back room.
Trey Sermon, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards in three seasons at Oklahoma, is transferring to Ohio State, he announced on Sunday.
— Trey Sermon (@treyera) March 22, 2020
“I just believe it’s the best situation for me,” Sermon told Lettermen Row's Austin Ward. “I know that I have the opportunity to play there considering the depth, and I had a relationship with [running backs coach Tony] Alford during my recruiting process coming out of high school. He was a great guy then, and I just feel like I connected well with him. I know I’m going to have to go in and compete for the job, but I feel like it’s the best situation for me to go into now.”
The Sermon File
- Year: Senior
- Size: 6-foot, 221 pounds
- Pos: RB
- School: Oklahoma (2017-19)
- Stats: 2,076 rushing yards, 22 rush TD, 391 receiving yards, 3 TD
A four-star prospect who was also recruited by the Buckeyes out of Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, Sermon made an immediate impact for the Sooners in 2017, rushing for 744 yards and five touchdowns and catching 16 passes for another 139 yards and two touchdowns. In his second game as a Sooner, he had 17 carries for 62 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards – including a 10-yard touchdown catch – in Oklahoma's 31-16 win at Ohio State.
In 2018, Sermon had 164 carries for 947 yards and a team-high 13 rushing touchdowns and added 12 catches for 181 yards. Last year, Sermon had 54 carries for 385 yards and four touchdowns and eight catches for 71 yards and another touchdown before suffering a season-ending leg injury.
That said, Sermon fell behind Kennedy Brooks on Oklahoma's depth chart even before his season-ending injury. At Ohio State, Sermon could potentially move to the top of the depth chart immediately following the departure of J.K. Dobbins and the Achilles injury suffered by Master Teague this spring.
A true senior, Sermon is a graduate transfer who will be immediately eligible to play in 2020.
Sermon immediately becomes the Buckeyes' most proven running back, as no other running back on the team has ever started a game, and adds depth to a room that currently has only one healthy full-time scholarship running back in Steele Chambers. Marcus Crowley is also expected to be back for preseason camp, and three-star freshman Miyan Williams will arrive this summer, but Sermon isn't coming to Columbus to be a backup, and the door to a starting job will likely be wide open for him when he arrives, especially if spring practices are unable to resume and Teague remains sidelined for the start of preseason camp.
The 6-foot, 221-pound running back becomes the first scholarship player this offseason to transfer to Ohio State, who now sit at 87 scholarships (including wide receiver C.J. Saunders, who hasn't yet received word on a potential sixth year of eligibility), two above the 85-man limit.
