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The Michigan Wolverines won the College Football Playoff national championship on Monday, but the day wasn’t all bad for rival Ohio State and its fans.
Star running back Quinshon Judkins announced he decided to transfer from Ole Miss to the Buckeyes:
Quinshon Judkins @qaj4_
Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” pic.twitter.com/J89kRzsmBQ
“I’m looking forward to being a part of a winning culture and helping do my part to beat TUN and bring a Big 10 championship and national championship to Columbus,” he wrote in a message that will surely please Buckeyes fans.
This is a massive get for head coach Ryan Day.
Judkins was one of the best players in the entire SEC the past two seasons with 1,567 rushing yards, 132 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns as a freshman in 2022 and 1,158 rushing yards, 149 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023.
He also seemed ready to play against some of Ohio State’s biggest competition when he accounted for 120 total yards and a touchdown in Ole Miss’ Peach Bowl victory over Penn State.
Matt Zenitz of 247Sports noted he became the first SEC player to account for 15 or more touchdowns in each of his first two years since Herschel Walker did so at Georgia.
The timing of Judkins’ announcement was notable, as was the mention of his goal of defeating Michigan in his post. The Buckeyes dominated the Wolverines for two straight decades but have lost the last three matchups. Because of those struggles in the rivalry game, Day is entering the 2024 campaign with plenty of speculation about his job status.
To his credit, Ohio State seems to be responding with urgency this offseason.
First, it brought in the No. 5 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. It has also landed Judkins, quarterback Will Howard and center Seth McLaughlin in the transfer portal.
And there seems to be momentum building toward a number of key players returning with Ty Hamilton, Tyleik Williams, Lathan Ransom and Jack Sawyer all revealing they are coming back ahead of decisions from Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Denzel Burke and JT Tuimoloau, among others.
If Egbuka, Henderson, Burke and Tuimoloau all come back and the Buckeyes address the offensive line with another addition or two in the transfer portal, the argument can be made that they will have the most talented team in the country going into the 2024 season.
Judkins will be a major part of that.
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