Ohio State fans mourning their arch-rival Michigan Wolverines winning the College Football Playoff National Championship received a bit of good news to cheer them up Monday night when the Buckeyes won the Quinshon Judkins sweepstakes.
The running back announced on social media that he’s heading to Columbus in the fall.
The first-team All-SEC selection carried the ball 271 times for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead Ole Miss to an 11-2 record this past season. He also chipped in 22 catches for 149 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Judkins performed even better in 2022, running for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry.
The Pike Road, Alabama, native entered the transfer portal shortly after leading the 11th-ranked Rebels to a 38-25 victory in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl over 10th-ranked Penn State. He carried the ball 34 times for 106 yards to go along with a 14-yard touchdown catch in the win.
Judkins was reportedly deciding between Ohio State, Florida, Texas, Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Kentucky before committing to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State had the third-best odds to win the title next year before landing Judkins, and adding the former Ole Miss back into the mix is a big move.
Judkins will join fellow running back TreVeyon Henderson in the Buckeyes' backfield, forming one of the best backfield tandems in the country. Henderson ran for over 1,200 yards in 2021 and nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark again this past season despite playing in only 10 games. He has also run for 32 touchdowns over the past three seasons.
The addition of Judkins marks Ohio State's second big portal win in the last week. The Buckeyes also received a commitment from former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard just days ago. After throwing for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, Howard will replace Kyle McCord, who left Columbus for Syracuse.
Ohio State enters the offseason with +800 odds to win the 2025 National Championship.
