The Ohio State football team has one of the most impressive rosters in the country and is expected to be one of the teams competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Given the way college sports in general have evolved over the past few seasons, transfers from other programs are becoming increasingly important, and former Ole Miss running back Quishon Judkins is one of the most important names in college football.
ESPN even called him the most important non-quarterback signing.
ESPN editor Bill Connelly wrote about the most important players in college football. Will Howard, Ohio State’s likely starting quarterback, topped the list, and Judkins came in at number 18.
“Judkins and Henderson rushed for 10 yards or more on about 14% of their runs last season and both averaged about 3.0 yards per carry after contact,” Connelly wrote. “Henderson’s potential is probably higher when he’s healthy (he’s also a super-dangerous receiver), but now you can’t make your season dependent on Henderson’s health. With Henderson, Judkins and slot man Emeka Egbuka, you give transfer quarterback Will Howard a lot of money to play with.”
Judkins was a star before joining the Buckeyes. He rushed for 1,567 yards in his first season at Ole Miss and 1,158 yards in his second season. Judkins scored 17 touchdowns in both seasons.
He was a surprise transfer considering how good Ole Miss is supposed to be this season, but the long history of elite backs coming through Columbus likely helped convince him to transfer to Ohio State.
Still, Judkins will be important and ideally a key factor in taking some of the pressure off Will Howard.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins named most important non-QB transfer
