Ohio State running back Trey Sermon ran for a stupefying 331 rushing yards and two touchdowns Saturday afternoon, as the Buckeyes overcame an early deficit to beat Northwestern. In pacing his team to the Big Ten Championship, Sermon not only set a school record for rushing yards with his performance, but added to his stock heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
Perhaps most importantly, however, he also earned a shoutout from the King, and resident Ohio sports fan, LeBron James:
TREY SERMON TAKE A BOW! You earned that!!! #GoBucks🌰 The Best Thing About 6-0…
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 19, 2020
In completing their regular season slate of games undefeated, despite a halftime lead by Northwestern, the Buckeyes appeared to have solidified their chances to play in the College Football Playoff, currently scheduled to kick off on Jan. 1. Though the semifinals are two weeks away, Ohio State and the rest of the nation’s top squads will only have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to learn their fate, as the field will be announced at noon on the selection show.
Are you kidding, @treyera?
He breaks @EddieGeorge2727's @OhioStateFB single game rushing record on this tough run 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bqF2W5wBNX
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020
Should the Buckeyes in fact qualify for the playoff, it would be the culmination of a college career for Sermon that originally began with the Oklahoma Sooners. Transferring to Ohio State as a graduate student only six months ago, the running back had been attempting to overcome a knee injury that cut his season short last year in Norman. Forced down the depth chart thanks to the presence of fellow running back Kennedy Brooks, Sermon opted to leave the Sooners in the hope that he could rebuild his reputation on the way to the pros.
If he hadn’t done that already, Saturday’s performance likely finished the job.
Already considered to be one of the top 10 running backs heading into the draft, Sermon’s explosive game against Northwestern will almost certainly see the back’s stock rise further. In the event that he needs a personal recommendation, it also seems as though James might be available to provide him with one.