Trey Sermon dives for opening drive touchdown against Colts

Trey Sermon didn’t hesitate to make an impact in the Philadelphia Eagles’ final preseason matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Just under three minutes into the game, Sermon trucked his way into the endzone for a two-yard touchdown.

Sermon was initally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, the 6-foot running back appeared in nine games, recording two starts. In his limited time, Sermon recorded 41 rushes for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunately for Sermon, the San Francisco 49ers cut him in August 2022. Sermon was claimed off waivers by the Eagles just one day later. The former Ohio State standout recorded just two carries last season. After an impressive start to Thursday’s contest, perhaps Sermon will get more touches this season.

Trey Sermon is in for the TD#INDvsPHI on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/idDai8rEkr

— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2023

Sermon certainly never struggled to find touches in college. He spent his first three seasons at Oklahoma, boasting 2,076 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. Despite his success with the Sooners, Sermon opted to transfer to Ohio State for the 2020 season.

The change of scenery didn’t slow down Sermon’s momentum. The Georgia native exploded for 870 yards and four TDs in his lone season with the Buckeyes. Further, Sermon averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Sermon’s time at Ohio State was highlighted by his 331 rushing yards in the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern.

Sermon was a four-star recruit out of Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Further, he was the No. 18 overall recruit in the state and the No. 16 running back in the Class of 2017.

Eagles head coach praises Trey Sermon

While Sermon didn’t have the ball in his hands much during his first season with the Eagles, head coach Nick Sirianni saw promise in the young RB.

“Trey Sermon, I’m really excited about him,” Sirianni told reporters covering the league meetings at the Phoenix Biltmore Hotel, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Trey didn’t get an opportunity to showcase his talents except for that game against Jacksonville … 

“But I can’t tell you how many times at practice he made a cut or you just saw him in his pads or he made a play on a screen or whatever it was and you’re like, ‘Man, this guy has a chance to be really good.’”

On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this article.