Despite the rookie hype, San Francisco 49ers running back Trey Sermon did not have a great campaign in 2021. In nine games played, he rushed 41 times for 167 yards and one touchdown, and caught three passes for 26 yards. Sermon is continuing to fight for reps in a crowded backfield, but 49ers general manager John Lynch says he’s been impressed with Sermon through the preseason.
“He worked incredibly hard and had a tremendous offseason,” Lynch said, via The Athletic. “Hasn’t showed up in the games, but throughout training camp has been one of our best players.”
Sermon rushed for just 39 yards in the 49ers’ three preseason games, but he did lead the team with 20 yards on eight carries vs. the Houston Texans on Thursday night. He spent his first three collegiate seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to Ohio State for the 2020 campaign. There, he found success that caught the eyes of NFL scouts.
In 2020, Sermon rushed for 870 yards and four touchdowns in eight games played. Against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game, he carried the Buckeyes to victory with 331 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Interestingly enough, Sermon said he watched 49ers film to help in his transition to Ohio State.
“When I was making the transition to Ohio State, I was looking at a lot of outside zone,” Sermon said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “The 49ers were definitely one of the teams that I looked at. Just going through the progressions and the reads because I knew when I got to Ohio State we were going to run a lot of that.”
Sermon didn’t show all that he is capable of in 2021, but according to Lynch, it sounds like he’s poised to play a role in San Francisco’s offense this season.
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