As someone with heavy southern roots, Quinshon Judkins had never even stepped foot in the state of Ohio until he arrived in Columbus earlier this month to begin his classes and workouts at Ohio State.
Yet, that didn’t stop the Alabama resident from understanding the prestige the Ohio State program holds from an early age.
“I think growing up, Ohio State isn’t just a school you hear about at that certain moment,” Judkins said on Tuesday. “With all the accolades they’ve had, all the great players that have come through here, some of my favorite running backs have played here. It’s always a school you’ve looked at growing up.”
The former Ole Miss running back has followed the career of past Buckeye running back greats Ezekiel Elliott, J.K. Dobbins and Trey Sermon closely. He’s admired how Ohio State has always been nationally relevant year in and year out since he started following the team.
Judkins has picked up no shortage of accolades after running for more than 1,000 yards and at least 15 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons with the Rebels. But in 2024, he wants to win a national championship. That’s why he transferred to Ohio State – despite the presence of TreVeyon Henderson.
“My answer would be, why not Ohio State? The place with great culture, the best coaches, the best players, the best fanbase that’s very passionate about their team and the whole city,” Judkins said. "I think with me being in the portal, it was a great situation to be in.”
Judkins’ decision to transfer five days after helping Ole Miss to a Peach Bowl win over Penn State caught many college football fans off guard, considering he had finished a season in which he ran for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns on 271 carries. But his recruitment didn’t even last a full week.
Judkins had an interest in Ohio State the moment he hit the portal and visited Columbus three days later. He made his commitment official the next day, immediately after Michigan won the national championship.
“I think more so for me, it wasn’t about like ‘This is where I want to go immediately,’” Judkins said of his process. “But I wanted to make my process pretty short. Especially because I got in at a later time and I had to be enrolled in school. Just figuring out where I wanted to go and making that decision as soon as possible.”
Henderson hadn’t made his decision to return to Ohio State at that time and while the pair have long been admirers of each other on social media before they were ever teammates, they didn’t speak in the four days Judkins was contemplating his decision. Nor have they since spoken about what each of their workloads may look like. But Judkins said Henderson welcomed him to Columbus after he made the decision to transfer and feels "fortunate" to be playing with him.
“We’ve always been in contact and supporting each other throughout our collegiate careers,” Judkins said. “When I decided to come here, he was very excited.”
Despite someone who’s had a workload of 545 carries the past two seasons, Judkins maintains he’s fine with having a lesser workload as long as it helps Ohio State and said he knows it could help his running back shelf life in the long run.
“I think just the idea of coming to a team where you’re playing for something bigger than yourself,” Judkins said. “A lot of great players have come here as you’ve seen through the portal. I think when you come together for a cause that’s bigger than yourself, you have great players around you, you want to win, and that’s what it’s all about.”
It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for Judkins this month.
After his departure, Judkins heard plenty of criticism from fans and people affiliated with Ole Miss. While not mentioning specifics, he said the transfer portal has brought about a lot of rumors and speculation about his process that he does not believe to be true, but that he’s now fully committed to looking ahead and helping the Buckeyes win a national title.
“It was crazy,” Judkins said of the reaction to him leaving Ole Miss. “There were a lot of different things, a lot of different emotions. But it’s a business. You understand it. People won’t always be happy about the decisions you make when it’s the best for yourself. Like I said man, I’m excited to be here and do what I can to win it all.”
With Henderson and Judkins, Ohio State arguably has the best one-two punch at running back in college football in 2024. Despite missing a few games due to injury, Henderson ran for 926 yards on 156 carries with 11 touchdowns last season, while Judkins has arguably been the best running back in the SEC the past two seasons considering he was the first SEC player since Georgia legend Herschel Walker to score 15 touchdowns in both of his first two collegiate seasons.
Between his conversations with Ryan Day, Tony Alford and Brian Hartline, Judkins said Ohio State has told him they plan to use him in all facets on the field to showcase his ability as an all-around back.
“Doing it all, really,” Judkins said of his expected role. “Not just running the ball in-between the tackles or outside. Getting me involved in the passing game and showcasing everything I can do as a player.”
Judkins has played in two Egg Bowls, a fierce rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, so he knows all too well how much those types of games mean to fans from both sides. He’s already been taught what beating Michigan means to Ohio State, made all too apparent from one of the first things he noticed in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“Oh, it’s big time,” Judkins said of the rivalry. “I’ve always heard a lot about it. But to be here, you see how big it is. They’ve got the clock in there with the countdown (to The Game). It’s serious. I’m excited to beat the team up north and that’s what we’re working toward.”
