Sermon, who the 49ers traded up to acquire in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, comes to San Francisco with experience in the style of rushing attack he'll be a part of in the NFL. That's because he ran some of it in college at Ohio State and did some research on the 49ers before the start of the 2020 season in order to familiarize himself with what he'd be doing at Ohio State after deciding to transfer there from the University of Oklahoma.
"I'm pretty familiar with them," Sermon told reporters after the 49ers selected him Friday night. "I knew they ran outside zone a lot because I studied it when I was coming to Ohio State, because I know Ohio State runs a lot of outside zone. I was able to get pretty familiar with it."
As a result, Sermon expects to be a natural fit with the 49ers, who already have a deep and experienced running back room that features Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Wayne Gallman.
"Just watching the running backs there, I feel I fit in pretty well," Sermon said. "I bring a lot to the table. I'm able to run the zone very well. I'm a great receiving back as well."
Sermon told reporters the 49ers first started showing interest in him after the Senior Bowl in February. He's since been able to establish a rapport with 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner.
"I knew they were pretty interested," Sermon said. "I talked with Coach Turner a lot, actually. Throughout my process, he's probably the coach I talked to the most. Over time I was able to get familiar with him and build a great relationship."
Sermon didn't have the chance to talk to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan until receiving his draft call on Friday night and hasn't had a chance to meet offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. But again, he's confident he'll be able to step right in and pick up on what his new coaches would like him to do.
"I'm pretty familiar with how he gets guys mixed in and get guys going," Sermon said. "I feel this is a great fit for me and I'm going to be able to have a big impact."
Sermon, who had 870 yards and four touchdowns in eight games for Ohio State including 331 yards and two touchdowns in the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern, ended his 2020 season with a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the national championship game against Alabama after one carry, but he told reporters Friday night he was now 100 percent. He's now looking forward to starting his next chapter for a team he seems thrilled to be a part of.
"It's very exciting, just again being a part of this organization," Sermon said. "It's a great team. A lot of guys there are young. I'm just looking forward to it."