The Pittsburgh Steelers added another running back after their rookie minicamp, signing former Indianapolis Colts RB Trey Sermon to a one-year deal on Sunday. Sermon entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. Then he joined the Philadelphia Eagles for one season in 2022 before spending the last two seasons with the Colts.
But who exactly is Trey Sermon? Here are five things to know about the newest Steelers running back.
Ran Track In High School
Trey Sermon was a four-star running back coming out of Sprayberry High School in Georgia. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry as a senior with 1,227 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. But when he wasn’t tearing up the football field as a star running back, he also running track.
This begs the question: Why did Trey Sermon only run a 4.61 40-yard dash at the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine?
Super-Fast 10-Yard Split, Slow 40 Time?
When Trey Sermon took to the track at the NFL Scouting Combine, people expected good things. Unfortunately, his best time was a 4.61. What happened?
Well, according to David Lombardi, who covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Standard, Sermon’s high school track coach knows what happened.
“He was smooth coming out of drive phase (10 yards),” Antwan Toomer said. “But pushed too hard and clenched up.”
Why did Trey Sermon post 2nd-fastest 10-yd split of draft RBs but only a 4.6 40? I’ve dug for answer.
Sermon’s HS track coach Antwan Toomer: “He was smooth coming out of drive phase (first 10 yards), but pushed too hard and clenched up” rest of the way.
Great news for 49ers
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) May 13, 2021
In a follow-up post, Lombardi said that Sermon’s 10-yard split is typically tied to a 4.3-4.4 40-yard dash, not his 4.61 time.
Scored His First College Touchdown At Ohio Stadium (Against The Buckeyes)
Trey Sermon finished his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. But he didn’t start there. He committed to the University of Oklahoma. And he earned an honorable mention for Offensive Freshman of the Year in the Big 12. He finished the season with 744 yards and five touchdowns on 121 carries, along with 16 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
But Sermon’s first touchdown came at the home of the Buckeyes. He caught a touchdown pass from Sooners QB Baker Mayfield during a 31-16 upset win over the Buckeyes. He finished the game with 17 carries for 62 yards and three catches for 23 yards, including the aforementioned touchdown.
Recruited By Ohio State, Eventually Transfers
Trey Sermon was quite a good running back with the Oklahoma Sooners. Unfortunately, a knee injury cut his junior season short. And Sooners RB Kennedy Brooks took advantage of his opportunity, solidifying control of the starting spot in Norman. So, Sermon entered the transfer portal. And the Buckeyes came calling again.
According to Sermon, Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford had tried to recruit him coming out of high school. And he didn’t miss the opportunity again.
“He started recruiting me out of high school,” Sermon told the Dayton Daily News. “Although I went to Oklahoma and I had my years there, I remember after we played them we talked a little bit after the game and he was just checking into how I was doing so it’s like now once we got to this point he picked up where we left off. It was just unique because coach Alford is such a genuine guy and all the players he comes in contact with he really cares about, and I feel like that was just the thing that stuck out the most.”
FBS (And Ohio State) Record Holder
While Trey Sermon didn’t immediately catch fire with the Buckeyes, he certainly made his presence known in the Big Ten Championship game that year. He ran for an FBS conference championship game record 331 yards (and two touchdowns) against the Northwestern Wildcats.
That also set an Ohio State single-game rushing record, surpassing Buckeye legend (and former Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans star) Eddie George, who had held the record at 313 yards.
Unsurprisingly, Trey Sermon was named the game’s MVP.
