One of the biggest question marks surrounding the 2020 Ohio State football team is at the running back position.
The Buckeyes lost star JK Dobbins to the NFL Draft following the 2019 season, and also missed out on several top recruiting targets.
Add in the knee injury suffered by freshman Marcus Crowley last fall, and things were already pretty thin entering the spring.
“We’re one injury away from a little bit of a crisis right now,” said Ryan Day on March 2.
Not long after, news broke that one of the presumptive favorites to win the 2020 job, Master Teague, would miss at least the rest of the spring with an injury. Two days later, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said he was “optimistic” that Teague would be ready for the fall, but it still has to be a concern within the program.
Senior Demario McCall is shifting back to the running back room to provide one option, and freshman Miyan Williams arrives this summer, but the Buckeyes could also look outside the program to bolster that unit.
One new possibility on that front it Trey Sermon, a senior running back at Oklahoma, who is reportedly entering the transfer portal.
Sermon has been a three-year standout for the Sooners. His best year came as a sophomore in 2018, when he ran for 947 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
He suffered a leg injury last November and slumped to just 385 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.
Sermon stands 6 feet tall and weighs 216 lbs. He has established himself as a threat in the passing game as well, catching 36 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns in his three seasons with the Sooners.
Given the current restrictions on recruiting and campus visits, it’s not likely there will be much movement with Sermon and the Buckeyes for a little while. But he definitely provides an intriguing option for them at a position of need when things start getting back to normal.
[Header photo courtesy: Oklahoma football]