Richard Sherman ( American football ) Richard Sherman ( born March 30 , 1988 ) , nicknamed Optimus Prime , is an American football cornerback with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League . He was selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round ( 154th overall ) of the 2011 NFL Draft . Sherman played college football at Stanford , playing both wide receiver and cornerback for the Cardinal . High school career . He attended Dominguez High School in Compton , California , where he starred in football and track and field . In 2006 he led his team to a Championship win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 41 - 14 . In his senior season he had an average of 30 yards per catch on 28 catches with 14 touchdowns . He was also named a USA Today All - American in track and field after winning the California state title in the triple jump with a mark of 50 feet , 8 inches . He also had personal bests of 13 . 99 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles , 10 . 77 in the 100 meter sprint , and 23 feet , 8 inches in the long jump . College career . Sherman began his career at Stanford as a wide receiver and led the Cardinal in receiving as a freshman in 2006 while being named a Freshmen All - American . He caught 47 passes over the next two years before suffering a season - ending knee injury after playing in the first four games in 2008 . He switched to cornerback after his injury due to team need and made 112 tackles over his final two years , which also included 6 interceptions . He was part of the 2010 Stanford Cardinal football team which finished 12 - 1 , a school record . Sherman is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity . Sherman graduated in 2010 from Stanford with a degree in Communications and returned for his final year of eligibility in order to begin a Masters degree . Professional career . Seattle Seahawks . 2011 . Sherman was selected in the 5th round , 154 overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 NFL Draft . Sherman remembers watching the Draft with his family at home and how many cornerbacks were drafted before him . To this very day , Sherman remembers being " livid " about players who he perceived as inferior getting drafted before him . Despite starting only 10 games in his rookie season , Sherman was selected to the 2011 PFW All - Rookie Team , shattering all expectations heading into the season . He also led all rookies with 21 passes defended and 4 interceptions in addition to 55 tackles . 2012 . On October 14 , 2012 , following a victory over the New England Patriots , Sherman taunted the Patriots ' quarterback , Tom Brady . Prior to week 8 vs Detroit , Sherman nicknamed himself Optimus Prime , an action intended to send out the message that he would shut down Detroit ' s wide receiver , Calvin Johnson , known by his nickname Megatron . ( Optimus Prime and Megatron are opposing characters in the " Transformers " franchise . ) Johnson was held to 3 catches for 46 yards against Sherman and the Seahawks , both season lows . Heading into Week 17 of the 2012 season , Sherman posted 61 tackles , seven interceptions and three forced fumbles . Due to his play and the fact that he was not selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl , Sherman was considered of one of the biggest 2013 Pro Bowl snubs . Sherman told Associated Press that " It don ' t mean nothing , " prior to the announcement of the Pro Bowl rosters . He was subsequently named Associated Press NFL All - Pro First Team . In December 2012 , Sherman won his appeal of a four - game suspension for violating the league ' s performance - enhancing drug policy . It was likely that Sherman would sue the NFL if he was suspended . Prior to the wildcard matchup between the Seahawks and the Redskins , Kedric Golston , a Redskins linebacker called out Sherman by saying " He ' s a cheater , " referring to Sherman ' s successful suspension appeal . Controversies . Sherman has been involved in several controversies during his NFL career . One of these controversies is his " Optimus Prime " nickname , referring to Calvin Johnson , who is nicknamed " Megatron " . Sherman has also been involved in a controversy where he asked Tom Brady , " U mad , bro ? " . Sherman also stirred controversy with his response to not being selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl . In March 2013 , Sherman went on to " ESPN First Take " , where he argued with Skip Bayless . Sherman told Bayless " I ' m intelligent enough and capable enough to understand that you are ignorant , pompous , egotistical , and cretin . I am going to crush you on here because I am tired of hearing about it . " He also claimed that he was " better at life " than the First Take analyst , which sparked a response from fellow ESPN analyst Bill Simmons that blasted the First Take program . Sherman was also involved in a Twitter feud with fellow NFL cornerback , Darelle Revis . , to the point that Joe Haden also involved in the conversation that he is the no . 2 cornerback in the league between Revis and Sherman . Sherman has also been involved in controversies with Trent Williams and Roddy White . Stats . The following stats were retrieved from NFL . com .