College football, along with the rest of the sports world, may be at a bit of a standstill but that does not mean that everyone is not preparing for the upcoming season.

It seems like months and months ago that everyone was talking about the Achilles of Master Teague and what that meant for the Ohio State running game and it was whispered that the Buckeyes might need to look outside of the program to add to the depth created by that and the early departure of JK Dobbins to the NFL.

There is still a lot of optimism that Teague will be back for the start of the season but even his rehab took a big hit with the complete shutdown of many services on campus due to the COVID-19 scare and the fallout from that.

A big domino fell on Saturday morning when Oklahoma running back Trey Sermon went to social media to announce his intentions to look for a new home for the upcoming season by way of the graduate transfer.

That is important because it guarantees immediate eligibility, unlike the standard transfer that for now still has to file an appeal and hope to get a favorable ruling (that all may be going away soon, but that issue has likely been tabled as the NCAA has much more on its plate currently).

Sermon is a former four-star recruit from the class of 2017, the same class that produced Dobbins. Ohio State was one of the schools heavily involved with Sermon, at least until Dobbins joined the class and everyone went different directions. That still did not stop Sermon from picking up more than two-dozen offers before ultimately committing to the Sooners, one of two backs in that class along with Kennedy Brooks.

In Sermon’s three-year career in Norman (Okla.), his best year was the 2018 season where he rushed for just shy of 1,000-yards (947) on 164 carries for an average rush of 5.8 YPC and 13 touchdowns on the season. Sermon would be third on the team in yardage behind both Brooks and Kyler Murray but would lead the team in rushing scores.

Sermon’s 2019 season would come to an abrupt halt during the Iowa State game when a 14-yard run, his only carry of the game, would end with a season-ending injury. At that point of the season in a platoon scenario with Brooks and now Jalen Hurts in carrying the ball, Sermon would have 54 carries for 385 yards and an average of 7.1 YPC.

If the Buckeyes and Sermon join forces for the 2020 season, it could be quite the match.

"When healthy Sermon proved he’s more than a fourth quarter closer type," Eddie Radosevich of SoonerScoop.com said. "He can do a little bit of everything. Patient runner and an improved pass catcher out of the backfield. His exit from Norman comes as a surprise but it’s safe to assume his addition could be seamless in Columbus.

The Buckeyes struck gold last season with another graduate transfer, offensive guard Jonah Jackson who spent the majority of his career at Rutgers before coming to Ohio State. Jackson would go on to be named all-Big Ten first team (coaches) during his one-year stint with the Buckeyes.

With no on-campus recruiting until mid-April at the earliest, it is unknown how quickly things might move as both parties would be relegated to electronic communication now that Sermon is eligible to speak to other programs. We will keep you updated on this situation as more becomes available.