Derrick Sherman is Cincinnati's connection to Cotton Bowl-winning Tulane football team

Tulane's come-from-behind win against USC in the Cotton Bowl - which included a rally from a 15-point deficit with less than 5 minutes left in the game - was among the most exciting of college football's bowl season.

Green Wave running backs coach Derrick Sherman - a Cincinnati native and former Withrow High School standout - was part of a thrilling victory that featured 205 rushing yards from star running back Tyjae Spears in addition to the school's historic season.

Sherman was in his first season at Tulane, which went from 2-10 in 2021 to 12-2 this past season. He coached at Georgia Southern and Samford after his first stint at Tulane as an offensive analyst. He's also coached at Pittsburg State, Southwest Baptist and West Virginia State.

Sherman played at Purdue and Morgan State after starring at receiver for Withrow. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Morgan State in 2012 and a master's degree in education from Georgia Southern in 2015.

Derrick's wife, Sadie, said her husband "has done so much for so many and is well-loved back home (in Cincinnati)."

A tweet from Tulane head coach Willie Fritz from Wednesday night:

Winton Woods High School senior running back Trey Cornist committed to Tulane in December.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Derrick Sherman coaches running backs for Cotton Bowl-winning Tulane