A light smile helps you first. Then comes the all-knowing, perfectly timed look at the rooms.
Trey Sermon managed to make it to Ohio State, which did it for television, while officials looked at whether he scored a touchdown on a long run against Clemson in last week’s semifinals at the College Football Playoff. He knew – we all knew – he clearly didn’t know.
Maybe the joke was on us. Sure, it became an instant meme. And no, the smile and the look did not sell the officials in a touchdown that never happened. But Sermon’s deliberate gaze with pursed lips, a three-second window into his Ezekiel Elliott-like transformation into an unstoppable post-season force, sent a message:
Hey people, I’ve been here all along.
– ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2021
The world only sees her now, after a two-game stretch in which Sermon ran 524 meters, scored three touchdowns and became the biggest revelation of an Ohio state crime that had no real identity until it shattered Northwestern. in the Big Ten Championship Game. His appearance has been for years, first as a acclaimed high school recruit, then as an Oklahoma back who slowly fell from the top of the depth chart and now as a Terminator-like force ready to bulldoze and hinder defenders. from his last quest to prove himself.
The sermon is about to surpass what Elliott last did when Ohio State won a national title in the 2014 season. Elliott put together the most dominant three-game stretch in school history, with 696 yards and eight touchdowns in the Big Ten championship game and the semifinals and CFP championship games to take the Buckeyes – and that says something about a program known for the elite back, to the next level.
The comparison is not lost on anyone now, when Buckeyes no. 3 is preparing to play Alabama no. 1 in the National College Football Playoff Championship presented by AT&T on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (20:00 ET, ESPN and ESPN). In fact, Sermon overtakes Elliott when he rushes through two postseason games.
“A lot of great runners who came here – and Zeke is one of the best runners – just to be in this conversation, it’s an honor,” Sermon said this week. “I feel pretty good at what I’ve managed to accomplish so far with my offensive line.”
The sermon did so with a resistance that became one of its characteristics. And to understand why he continued to push when he appeared so uncertain – between the current season itself and his role in the team – you need to understand his mother.
Natoshia Mitchell survived domestic abuse and violence, as well as the death of her 2-year-old son in 1993, six years before Trey was born. Her then-boyfriend was convicted of killing the young child and sentenced to life in prison. Mitchell testified against him at trial. Living through that pain and immeasurable loss, Mitchell turned to her grandmother and aunt for help. She began to think about her life. What did she want from this? Would she define anxiety or be able to move forward and use her own experiences to help others?
Mitchell has decided that he wants to be someone that others see as an example. She began to change her life after divorcing Trey’s father when her children were in elementary school. He moved to Tampa, Florida, along the Gulf of the same name, along with Trey and his older sister, Oneisha, got a new job and started all over again.
“I decided that I would be the best mother I could be for my children and I decided that I would have a good relationship with them,” she said in a recent telephone interview in Georgia, where she now lives.
Mitchell stopped meeting and focused on them, went back to school, and watched closely who was around her children all the time. He enrolled Trey to play football at the age of 5, while Oneisha started cheerleading. Trey began to defend himself, and Mitchell fondly remembers that every time he approached someone, the announcer would say, “The terminator hits again!”
Eventually, they moved to Marietta, Georgia, and Trey ran away at Sprayberry High School. He was ready to have a junior season, but after catching a touchdown in the season opener, he landed over a helmet and injured his back. Doctors initially thought it was a strain, so he played the following week. His then-coach, Billy Shackelford, remembered that Sermon was rushing 200 meters.
“The guy could barely bend over and touch his toes,” Shackelford said in a telephone interview.
The sermon saw the doctor again because he was suffering so much. He had a chipped bone in his back.
“It was an honest mistake, but he ran literally 200 meters with his back broken,” Shackelford said. “This is the perfect example of his toughness, his tenacity, his love for the game and overcoming. He usually takes an obstacle and tries to find gold in the situation. This is a real asset for him, the way he was raised and in the lastly the warrior that is within him. “
Mitchell said her insurance did not cover all the treatments and treatments needed for Trey, so she sold her car and moved with her children from their apartment and hotel for 11 months. He used the money he saved to get top care from Trey.
“I just wanted to make sure she was getting the best treatment and I wanted to be able to afford to pay for extra treatment,” she said. “I was determined that he would improve and he did.”
Until the last year, scholarship offers began to appear. The sermon finally ruled over Oklahoma. In 2017, Sermon was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, second in the team with 744 meters in a hurry and five touchdowns. His first career score came at Ohio Stadium – a 10-meter catch from Baker Mayfield – in Sooners’ 31-16 victory, during which Mayfield famously planted the Oklahoma flag in midfield.
Although he rushed for 947 meters as a starter next season, Sermon appeared not to be in favor of the rotation in 2019. His season ended after he ruptured his collateral lateral ligament in his knee in November. In March, he announced that he would transfer. Sermon claimed he simply wanted a fresh start, but Mayfield suggested in a tweet that former Oklahoma Foundation coach Jay Boulware (who left for Texas after last season) had some answers:
@CoachJ_Boulware How’s UT going? https://t.co/m8Gs3aC42m
– Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 2, 2021
Sermon eventually chose the state of Ohio because he developed a good relationship with foundation coach Tony Alford during his high school recruitment period. But the pandemic presented a new set of challenges. The sermon had to continue rehabilitation for knee injuries, while in-person training in Columbus was not allowed. He ended up sharing his time working with coaches in Houston and Georgia. When he finally managed to start working with teammates, his long-standing relationship with Buckeyes defender Justin Fields (both of whom are from Georgia) helped ease the transition. Even then, Sermon missed an entire off-season conditioning program and the chance to develop the natural chemistry and pace a runner needs to find success.
His plans for a fresh start almost evaporated when Big Ten decided in early August to postpone the start of the fall season. To make matters worse, Big 12 opted for the game. Sermon had to stay and watch his old teammates starting the season, while he had no idea if he would have the opportunity he so desperately wanted.
“It was devastated,” Mitchell said. “He thought to himself, ‘I can’t prove who I really am.’ And that was the biggest thing for him, thinking, “No one can see who I am or what I can do. They saw a little bit of that, but they still haven’t seen the real thing. ” I kept trying to encourage him. He came back later and said, “Ma, I think we’ll have a season.” I said, “You have to keep pushing; you have to keep believing. ” “
Once the Buckeys began in late October, Sermon had a hard time finding a role, as Master Teague III had the start. In the first four games, Sermon had 45 carries for 232 yards and had no touchdowns. But Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he noticed a change in the Michigan State game on Dec. 5 as Sermon began to feel better about the offense, recording 10 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
However, Day could never have predicted what would happen next. Ohio State and Fields could not get anything in the Big Ten game against Northwestern. Then Teague was injured. Day put all his faith in Sermon, who responded with a school record of 331 meters and two touchdowns, almost matching his hasty total in the first five games combined (344).
“You see the best version of Trey,” Day said. The best part is that when all this was going on, he never came to my office, he never complained, he never said, ‘I need more books,’ none of that. continued to go to work every day.
Although Fields returned with a stellar six-touchdown performance in the CFP semifinal against Clemson, it’s hard to forget how he dominated Sermon, finishing with 193 yards in a hurry and a score, in addition to his instant meme. (By the way, by the way, his mother says he always gives it to her and her sister.)
Mitchell was in New Orleans for the semifinals and said he plans to be in Miami on Monday night with her 9-year-old niece, A’mia, who is close to Uncle Trey.
Mitchell kept his promises to help others by writing a book about his experiences entitled “When My Soul Cries: Healing, Forgiveness, and Release.” She is about to earn a doctorate in psychology from the University of Arizona in April. And he founded Arise by Faith Inc., a nonprofit organization for domestic violence and family mourning, which is focused on providing resources and assistance to those in need.
The resilience Mitchell showed provided life examples for both children.
“I just saw all the things he went through, how he managed to persevere, to continue working hard for our family and I feel that this helped me throughout my career, because I faced a ton of challenges. “A lot of adversity,” Sermon said. “But I know there’s light at the end of the tunnel again, so I just have to keep working hard and I know everything will work out.”
It’s like he’s been here all along.