Buckeye running back Trey Sermon has announced his intention to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
Sermon transferred to Ohio State from Oklahoma this past year for his senior season, but could have returned via the NCAA’s granting of an extra year to all fall athletes this past year.
Instead, Sermon is off to the NFL following a season that started slowly for him, then exploded, then was ended on one carry in the national championship game against Alabama due to injury.
Sermon rushed for 870 yards in eight games this past season, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He scored four touchdowns on the ground. Sermon also caught 12 passes for 95 yards.
He was at his best late in the season, rushing for 112 yards on 10 carries at Michigan State while nearly two dozen teammates stayed home with COVID. It was his performance in the Big Ten Championship Game, however, that made him a national name and provided him a Buckeye legacy that will live long past his one season in Columbus.
In that game against Northwestern, Sermon rushed for an OSU-record 331 yards on 29 carries, scoring twice. He didn’t take too much of a step back against Clemson in the playoff semifinals, rushing for 193 yards on 31 carries.
The Buckeyes went into the national championship game against Alabama with designs on utilizing Sermon once again, but those designs were scrapped when Sermon was injured and lost for the game on the first snap.
Sermon was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in 2020.
All told, Sermon rushed for 2,946 yards and scored 26 rushing touchdowns in his playing career. He also caught 48 passes for 486 yards and three additional touchdowns.
While Sermon’s departure is not a surprise, there was some thought that he may return in order to increase his draft stock given how slowly he started the 2020 season. Instead, he looks to strike while the iron is hot.
CBS Sports has Sermon as their No. 8 running back on the board with a fourth-round projection.
