COLUMBUS — Ohio State football wasted no time flipping the narrative away from rival Michigan’s national championship celebration.
Former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins committed to the Buckeyes on Monday, making the announcement with an 11:13 p.m. post on social media. The 2022 freshman All-American, who has two years of eligibility remaining, had been in Columbus for an official visit.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of a winning culture and helping do my part to beat the TUN and bring a Big 10 championship and National Championship to Columbus,” Judkins wrote in his post. “The RB brotherhood at Ohio State is incredibly special and I am grateful to have an opportunity to be a part of that.
“I chose this place because I know I can help this team win championships as well as continue my development as a student-athlete.”
In his true freshman season of 2022, Judkins led the SEC with 1,565 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 5.71 yards per carry. This past season, he ranked second in the SEC in both yards (1,158) and carries (271) for a 4.27 average while scoring 15 more rushing touchdowns.
The commitment comes less than a week after Ohio State picked up a commitment from former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard. Judkins will either replace TreVeyon Henderson as the lead back if the Buckeyes’ leading rusher enters the NFL Draft, or join with him to form what will widely be considered the best tandem of backs in the country.
Judkins left Ole Miss at a time when coach Lane Kiffin brought in several other notable transfers. He is only the fourth incoming transfer for OSU, joining Howard, former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin and former Ohio tight end Will Kacmarek.
However, he is the third transfer from Ole Miss to join since the end of the 2022 season, joining cornerback Davison Igbinosun and defensive tackle Tywone Malone.
