Quinshon Judkins sheds black stripe for Buckeyes
COLUMBUS — Quinshon Judkins transferred to Ohio State to be a part of the best backfield in college football.
Now he can officially call himself part of the Buckeyes roster.
Judkins shed his black stripe on Tuesday after practice, signaling that he’s earned the status of being a piece of the program. He was one of two Buckeyes transfer additions this offseason to lose the black stripe on Tuesday, joining safety Caleb Downs.
After spending two years at Ole Miss, earning first-team All-SEC honors in each of them, Judkins went in the transfer portal and landed wit the Buckeyes. He broke down, quite clearly, why he made that decision.
“My answer would be, ‘Why not Ohio State?’ a soft-spoken Judkins said earlier this offseason during a media appearance. “A place with great culture, the best coaches, the best players, the best fan base that’s very passionate about their team and about the whole city — that was my reasoning.”
Judkins ran for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. He was also a weapon out of the backfield, catching 22 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. That came on the heels of a freshman season that put him on the radar of just about every college football fan nationally. As a true freshman, Judkins ran for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Now he’s in a tailback room that includes star senior running back TreVeyon Henderson, who put off the NFL Draft for another crack at a national title with the Buckeyes, and other talented backs. Third-year back Dallan Hayden and a pair of freshmen round out the ultra-talented room.
“The whole running back room — Dallan, James and Sam, [too] — that’s a heck of a room,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “There’s a lot of depth there. And when I think about next season, you have your 12-game regular season. You have the Big Ten Championship game, and then you have the 12-team playoff. I mean, you’re talking about possibly maybe 16-17 games.
“And so that’s a long run. That’s an NFL schedule. Your roster needs to reflect that. Having depth at running back will be very, very important. There’ll be a lot of carries to go around.”
Judkins figures to be a big part of that star-studded running back room this season for Ohio State. The first step in that is now complete.
Quinshon Judkins shed his black stripe on Tuesday. The two-headed running back monster of he and TreVeyon Henderson this upcoming season is becoming a reality this spring.
