He hasn’t appeared on any preseason All-SEC lists. With an average fan, his name won’t come up in conversations about college football’s best this year.

Yet he’s been talked up as one of Auburn’s biggest tools and most exciting players entering the 2020 season. To his teammates, staff, NFL draft experts and friends, it isn’t a question of if Sherwood will be a standout defender in the SEC, but when.

He was unstoppable in high school from the time he was 14. He looks like a defensive end and moves like a wide receiver. After two seasons at Auburn, he’s setting the standard for his defensive coordinator.

And only now is he a full-time starter.

Jamien Sherwood is just getting started.

Tim Caffey pulled onto Northwest Goldenrod Road early on a Monday morning, ready to look ahead to a new year.

Jensen Beach High School’s football season ended a few days prior with a loss, so the head coach gave his players a few days off before returning to team activities. But Caffey, a 20-plus-year coaching veteran in south Florida, was eager to get started on preparations for next year that morning in his office.

As Caffey was walking from his car to enter the school, he saw motion out of the corner of his eye. A tall figure was running on the JBHS track, alone in the dark, still before dawn.

Jamien Sherwood wanted to get ready for next season, too.

“I had given the guys some time off, but I came to the school early Monday, and I see this shadow out there running on the track,” Caffey said. “He’s by himself. And it’s Jamien, running and running in the dark.”

It’s possible Sherwood was up even earlier that day. It wasn’t uncommon for him to pack his car and drive five minutes to the beach for some training before school.

In fact, he rarely missed an opportunity to get a workout in before the rest of Florida woke up.

In his mind, if he wasn’t doing it, someone else was.

“This kid would get up in the morning and go to the beach, have a beach workout at 5 o’clock in the morning, hit the showers, meet me at school around 7:15, stay in my class and watch film until school would start, then he would go out and practice later, on full blast,” Caffey said in an interview with AuburnSports.com. “And that was a daily routine.

“He just keeps working because in his mind, if you’re not working, somebody’s gaining on you.”

Auburn’s new starting safety is a perfectionist through and through, but he still understands the value of patience. That’s a pillar of his personality. He waited his turn in the Tigers’ secondary, soaking in knowledge for two seasons from veterans like Daniel Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson before Auburn’s proverbial safety torch was passed to him and Smoke Monday. Sherwood took that time to absorb defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s system, as well, to the point where he feels he can “express himself” within the defense and trust his gut.

But Sherwood, like so many players over the years in Steele’s defenses, had plenty of playing time as a backup. The reason he’s one of Auburn’s most anticipated players for 2020 is because of his 26 game appearances as an underclassmen — and how, at times, he looked like an NFL defensive back patrolling centerfield in the Tigers’ defense, and then like a linebacker making huge hits at the line of scrimmage.

To the greater college football world, he’s not yet a household name. To Auburn fans, Sherwood is exciting potential — a strong candidate to be the next big thing to come from AU’s vaunted defense. And to those who know him best, even the biggest accomplishments in Sherwood’s first season as a starter wouldn’t come as a surprise.

“We’ve known this ever since we saw the kid the first time,” Caffey said. “Here, he’s a legend. This kid can do things that are absolutely jaw-dropping."

Sherwood is much more than a football player to Caffey.

“He’s like a son to me,” the coach said.

The two have been close since Sherwood’s seventh-grade year, and their connection as family goes back much further. Caffey’s wife went to high school with Sherwood’s mother, Venetia Johnson, and they’ve known each other for more than 30 years.

“God blessed that kid with a lot of ability, but he also blessed him with a big heart,” Caffey said of Sherwood. “His mother has done an outstanding job of raising him because he’s a very good kid and a great young man.”

Caffey himself played high-school football in Birmingham in the 1980s. He competed against some of the best players in the history of the state, like Bobby Humphrey and Cornelius Bennett.

“And Jamien reminds me of those types of players with his work ethic and how he just always wants to get better,” Caffey said.

Sherwood isn’t like other high-profile players, or at least he wasn’t when he was a high schooler, Caffey explained. “He’s an old-school soul in a new-school body,” the coach said. Sherwood would spend hours in Caffey’s office, studying film or talking about his personal goals — graduation, a college education, a career in football.

But never has Sherwood rushed the astronomical aspirations he’s laid out for his life — not at Jensen Beach as a youngster, and not now as a starting defensive back in the SEC.

“When I say old school, he has that work ethic that you don’t find in many kids his age,” Caffey said. “A lot of kids now want the get-rich-quick stuff, they want instant gratification. Jamien never had any of that.

“He’s been willing to work for every single ounce of whatever he’s had.”

When Sherwood tried out his first year at Jensen Beach, he made the varsity team as a starter. Fast enough to make plays on the ball in the secondary but strong enough to deliver blows to running backs, Sherwood was fashioned into a Caffey’s defense as a “rover” — a blend between a strong safety and an outside linebacker.

And if Sherwood’s teammates — along with the football fans in the area — didn’t know about him before, they were quickly brought up to speed on the 14-year-old freshman.

“He got an interception the very first play of varsity football,” Caffey said with a laugh.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the country — particularly, big-name college football programs — to begin flocking to Jensen Beach to watch Sherwood play.

He was being recruited by most as a safety, but coaches were going to be treated to the full Jamien Sherwood experience whenever they came down.

Maturing to 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds by the time he was a senior, Sherwood “did it all” for Jensen Beach. He could have been the Falcons’ starting quarterback if he had wanted to, his former coach said.

Caffey recalls that, in a rivalry game against Heritage High School, Sherwood played three different positions in a single play and ended up with a pick.

When Indiana sent a coach down to watch Jensen Beach’s new blue-chip prospect during a spring game, Sherwood scored a long rushing touchdown, took a screen pass for a touchdown, snagged an interception at his safety position, and jumped over three defenders for a big gain on a deep ball that led to a touchdown.

After catching up with Sherwood, the IU coach came over to Caffey and said, “I’ve just seen the best running back, defensive end, safety and wide receiver in the country.”

Of course, despite the gushing from the Hoosiers staff that sunny spring afternoon, Sherwood became sought after by some of the biggest powers in the sport.

He could have stayed close to home with familiar names like Florida or Miami, playing against the Sunshine State’s top talent for another four years.

But in Sherwood’s eyes, Auburn is home. It’s been that way since he was a senior in high school.

“Constantly when I’m not at Auburn, I’m always thinking about it,” Sherwood said during his signing day ceremony.

Even though it’s not five minutes from the beach and you can’t see the horizon from the top of the stadium like he’s used to in south Florida, something about Auburn has always felt right. Ever since his first visit for the 2017 spring game — where he quickly developed a “wonderful” relationship with Steele and Gus Malzahn — he’s been hooked.

“Just from my first time here, I just loved it,” Sherwood said of Auburn this preseason. “... At first sight, I just knew I could fit in here. Then, since I've been here, I've loved every second of it. So, by us being quarantined over the past few months at home, it was a real bummer because I felt like I was missing out on the college experience. I'll never get this time back here.

“But I love it here. Every second of it. I wouldn't trade it.”

When Sherwood sent off his AU papers to become an early enrollee in December 2017 — sporting a navy Auburn ball cap and an orange and blue bow tie on his high school stage — his mother placed a hand on his back and smiled as he signed. His grandmother, Carol Johnson, planted a kiss on his cheek after her speech. “Just be yourself,” she said to Sherwood. Caffey did the honors of faxing the paperwork.

Sherwood was asked during the ceremony where he sees himself in four years at Auburn. Always the big dreamer, he didn’t hesitate.

“Heisman winner.”

Sherwood came on board at Auburn in hopes of immediately vying for a starting spot on the back end of the defense. Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts had graduated. But Thomas and Dinson’s two extra years of experience ultimately led to starting nods in their favor at the open safety positions.

Nonetheless, Sherwood was thrilled to begin his role as a true freshman, and Steele gave him good reason to be. As an underclassman, he appeared in all 26 possible games. Sherwood’s freshman season got off to a hot start with an interception in Week 2 against Alabama State. In a midseason SEC tilt at Ole Miss, Sherwood blasted the quarterback for a sack on a critical third-and-goal. He concluded his freshman campaign with 23 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, two pass deflections and a pick, later being graded out as the best freshman safety in the nation by Pro Football Focus.

Sherwood then took his game up a notch his sophomore year. With another year in Steele’s system and another offseason in AU’s strength program, he felt smarter and stronger. Sherwood logged 43 tackles, four tackles for loss and five pass breakups.

“For [Sherwood] to standout as a backup like that — to show flashes like that — I think that shows a lot of promise for him now being in that starting safety role,” said Jordan Reid, a senior NFL draft analyst at The Draft Network.

Reid studied the SEC as his scouting area this offseason for The Draft Network. In poring over Sherwood’s film, Reid said the most impressive tape came from his first career starts last year against LSU and Ole Miss, while Auburn was dealing with injury issues in the secondary.

That bodes well for Sherwood’s outlook now that he’s receiving full-time work in the secondary.

“The great thing about him is that it’s his third year in the system with Kevin Steele, so he already knows where he needs to be,” Reid told AuburnSports.com. “And that’s very clear on tape. It’s just a matter of the exposure as a full-time starter.”

Since last season, Sherwood has bulked up 16 more pounds, now up to 6-2, 220. He has the frame of an NFL safety, Reid said.

“You love the physicality he brings, especially in run support,” he noted. “I think that’s one of his standout areas.”

At Auburn, his teammates sometimes forget where he’s lining up in a given play. All they see is a monster defender, barreling toward a running back or a receiver.

“[Sherwood] can play cornerback, safety, linebacker, buck (edge rusher),” Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary said this preseason. “Jamien, he’s got the size for every position. Like, that boy’s a beast on the field. I look at him like Isaiah Simmons because that’s how great he is. He can do all those things, and I’m happy I’m playing on the side with him.”

Simmons played almost every position on defense for Clemson last season before being picked No. 8 overall in the draft by the Cardinals.

Reid sees similar versatility in Sherwood, who can roam about the defense at will, giving Auburn a master key at times — an answer to a multitude of offensive looks without having to substitute.

“You’re talking about a player that can be an ultimate chess piece on third down,” Reid said. “I think that’s where Kevin Steele is most excited about him, especially when you’re losing some talent on the defensive line. When you’re losing guys like a Marlon Davidson and like a Derrick Brown, you’re going to lose some of that pass-rush productivity.

“You want to be able to use a cheat code like Jamien Sherwood to just figure out how you can unlock his ability not only as a safety, but also an ultimate weapon you can use at so many different positions.”

Caffey knows all about Sherwood’s versatility, but he maintains that a defensive back role — with the ability to survey the top of the defense and the front seven at the same time — suits Sherwood best because of his pursuit and natural inclinations to come up and make plays.

“He covers so much ground and he gets there so fast,” Caffey said. “He’s got such long arms and he’s very strong in his upper body. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re going down. He doesn’t waste time. His eyes don’t lie to him. He listens to his instincts.”

And those assessments of Sherwood came from last season, where Caffey said he, too, was most impressed with his former player against LSU and Ole Miss. The more snaps Sherwood plays, the better a defense gets, he said.

Sherwood can expect plenty of action his junior year, especially with the way his Auburn staff views him going into the 2020 season.

Steele said during fall camp that Sherwood sets the bar for what tackling should look like for an Auburn football player. The Tigers’ secondary was one of the best in the nation in wrapping up last year, and Sherwood wasn’t one to miss out on an opportunity for a stop. His defensive coordinator likened his form to a golf swing — incredibly consistent, and getting better over time.

Steele thinks Sherwood’s “swing” can reach elite status by the time he’s done at Auburn.

“Jamien may be one of the best tacklers I've ever seen in the secondary,” Steele said. “He's that talented with his balance and body control.”

Auburn begins a season like no other Saturday inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The crowd will resemble more of what Sherwood was used to in high school than an SEC venue. Any number of players could be held out any given week if they’re exposed to COVID-19.

None of that is fazing Sherwood. As always, he has his eyes set on greatness. He refuses to be outworked, no matter the circumstances swirling around the college football world in 2020.

His Auburn coaches know his heart. And they’ll feed his determination for as long as he needs.

“... If he stays healthy and keeps the mindset that he has, he can be very, very special,” Steele said.

NOT A MEMBER?

JOIN AUBURNSPORTS.COM TODAY to enjoy around-the-clock content including stories, analysis, videos, podcasts, call-in shows and The Greatest Message Board In The History of The Internet.