2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Quinshon Judkins, RB Ohio State

If you’re a college football fan there’s no doubt you’ve been hearing the name Quinshon Judkins for quite a few years now. The Alabama native burst onto the scene as a true freshman setting SEC records during his time at Ole Miss. Now, the bruising back is helping the Ohio State Buckeyes march their way to a national title.

Will the devy darling produce for dynasty teams or are his best seasons behind him?

Recruitment

Courtesy of 247Sports.

Judkins was a relatively unheralded recruit coming out of Pike Road, Alabama. He was only a three-star recruit; he held plenty of offers across the Power 5, but none of the blue blood programs like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, or Texas were interested in the 46th-best running back in the 2022 class.

However, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was a big fan. Below is a famous photo of Kiffin sitting alone watching Judkins dominate his high school competition. Over his final two years, Judkins ran for 3,016 yards and 51 touchdowns on 8.489 yards per carry. Shortly after the season, Judkins committed to Ole Miss and was by far the best player from their 2022 recruiting class despite the limited number of stars next to his name.

Collegiate Career

Courtesy of Sports Reference.

The 2022 season was one for the history books as Judkins ran for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman. Both of those marks are Ole Miss records for yards and touchdowns in a season and his rushing yards are the second most by a true freshman in SEC history behind only Herschel Waler’s 1,616 at Georgia in 1980. Unsurprisingly, Judkins won SEC Freshman of the Year in 2022. The 2023 season was a bit of a grind for Judkins as he battled injuries but he was still able to finish with 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns which brought him into more rarified air. Judkins is one of only eight players in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in each of his first two college seasons and he joined Walker as the only two SEC players to ever accomplish that feat.

Following the 2023 season, Judkins transferred to Ohio State to play alongside TreVeyon Henderson in Columbus. This decision was made to not only compete for a national title, but to better prepare himself for the NFL. Judkins handled 270+ rush attempts in each of his first two seasons at Ole Miss and you could see those touches start to wear him down during the 2023 season when his efficiency fell off of a cliff and injuries started to linger.

This year at Ohio State the gaudy rushing totals we’ve seen in the past aren’t there, but his efficiency has climbed back up to a respectable level. Plus, sharing the backfield with another top-five running back in the class is going to inherently lead to fewer touches. However, Judkins has looked good in his limited touches as his yards per carry, missed tackles forced per attempt, and explosive rush rate have all increased compared to his 2023 marks.

Strengths

• Very physical runner who punishes defenders inside the box
• Hardly ever fumbles
• Can handle an NFL workload with 290 touches in each of his first two seasons
• Excellent burst and explodes through openings at the line of scrimmage

Weaknesses

• Not the most creative runner and relies heavily on his play strength
• Limited in the receiving game and struggles to pass block
• Long speed leaves a bit to be desired and was caught from behind a few times this year

Draft Value

Courtesy of Mock Draft Database.

Judkins has seen his draft stock take a little dip throughout this season but that’s only from the 45th overall player to about the 60th overall player in this class. This is a loaded RB class so some teams may have specific preferences for the backs they like, but I feel pretty confident that Judkins will hear his name called on day two of the draft. Whether he’s an early second-round pick or a late third-round pick is anybody’s guess, but I do think he’s taken in that range.

Dynasty Outlook

It’s going to be interesting to see where all of these running backs are selected and which teams they are selected by because that’s going to drive so much of the argument and debate between them. As of right now, I feel comfortable saying that Judkins is a top-five-ish RB in this class and will be firmly in play at the top of the second round of rookie drafts.

Two years ago if you were to say Judkins is a second-round rookie pick people would say that’s insane and he’s locked into the first round. However, it’s hard to ignore the steady decline in production and efficiency since his freshman year. Plus, his lack of use as a receiver drastically limits his fantasy upside. He seems destined to be a first and second-down thumper in a two-headed backfield while surrendering most of the pass-catching work.