Ohio State’s Trey Sermon Is Inspiring His Mother After Her Life Featured Numerous Heartbreaking Deaths
Ohio State running back Trey Sermon has become a household name this season.
A dynamic player in the backfield alongside star quarterback Justin Fields, Sermon is a major reason why the Ohio State Buckeyes are playing for a national championship.
In addition to scoring touchdowns, Sermon is inspiring his family and keeping them motivated. Sermon’s family has had no shortage of nightmares and tragic deaths over the years.
Trey Sermon began his career at Oklahoma
Standing 6 feet 1 inches and 215 pounds, Trey Sermon had used his size and speed to thrive at multiple schools in his college career.
Sermon spent his first three seasons at Oklahoma and saw immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2017. The timing of his arrival meant Sermon received carries from two straight Heisman Trophy winners — Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray — and another finalist, Jalen Hurts.
Sermon ran for 2,076 yards and 22 touchdowns in three seasons with the Sooners. He also turned 36 receptions into 391 yards and three touchdowns.
Sermon took advantage of the transfer portal when the 2020 season ended. Rather than stick around in Oklahoma, Sermon joined the Ohio State Buckeyes as a graduate student.
Sermon is starring at Ohio State
It took some time for Trey Sermon to find his footing at Ohio State, especially after the coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the Buckeyes’ season until October.
Sermon ran for 232 yards on 45 carries — an excellent 5.15 yards per attempt — in his first four games. It took five games for Sermon to total his first 100-yard game and score his first touchdown with the Buckeyes.
Then came the Big 10 Championship on December 19, when Sermon broke out for 331 yards and two touchdowns on 11.4 yards per carry. Sermon’s 331 rushing yards set a school record in the Buckeyes’ 22-10 victory over Northwestern.
Sermon ran for 193 yards and a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson. The veteran running back also turned four catches into 61 yards.
Trey Sermon’s family has overcome numerous tragedies
Trey Sermon and the Ohio State Buckeyes will face Mac Jones and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship.
The 2021 national championship game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Sermon’s mother, Natoshia Mitchell, is originally from Florida.
Natoshia and the Sermon family has dealt with their share of tragedies over the years. Her ex-partner assaulted her during their relationship and murdered their 2-year-old son, Antonio. According to Sports Illustrated, an autopsy showed “multiple blows to the boy’s skull.”
Mitchell explained to SI that she told Trey about his half-brother, who died over five years before the Buckeyes running back was born, at a later point.
“I look at it like this: I learned to live with it. I’ll never get over my son’s death. I learned to live with it and move on to show my kids something better.”
Natoshia lost both of her brothers, one of whom was shot seven times, and her parents to sudden and tragic deaths. Her father died in a car accident only two weeks after his wife — and her mother — passed away.
Trey Sermon’s football success has inspired his mother, an author and soon-to-be college graduate of her own. Soon, the two could be celebrating his first NFL contract.
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