Devy Digest: Quinshon Judkins

Quinshon Judkins will join TreVeyon Henderson to form one of the most formidable backfields in the country, but what is his outlook in devy and dynasty formats?

Ohio State Buckeyes
Position: Running Back
Quinshon Judkins
6’0”, 219 lbs
Age: 20
Draft Eligible: 2025

Stats

Who is Quinshon Judkins?
Judkins was a 3* in the composites and attended Pike Road High in Alabama. Judkins was a productive performer for three years and rushed for over 1,100 in each of his final three seasons, which was capped off by a 1,500-yard rushing Senior season with 26 touchdowns. Judkins was part of the 2022 class and initially committed to Ole Miss, where he was expected to be a rotational depth piece behind Zach Evans. Judkins would overtake Evans for the starting position in week eight and never relinquished it. Judkins would rush for over 1,500 yards as a true freshman with 15 touchdowns. Judkins got off to a slow start this past season and was hampered by a nagging injury. Judkins finally found his rhythm in week eight and would finish the season with 100 rushing yards in 5 of the final seven games, with 9 of his 15 rushing touchdowns coming in that span. Once the season ended and the transfer portal opened up, Ole Miss would grab guys left and right to try and build a championship team, and by doing so, Judkins would seek additional NIL money. When Ole Miss balked at potentially giving Judkins additional money, he would enter the portal and end up at Ohio State. Judkins will now be paired with TreVeyon Henderson for the upcoming 2024 season, and the Buckeyes brought in Chip Kelly to be the Offensive Coordinator. Kelly tends to run more than Ryan Day, and we should see an uptick in rushing production for Judkins and Henderson. Additionally, Ohio State should be ahead in most of their games, and Chip Kelly loves to utilize the run game and tire out opposing defenses.

Strengths

Ohio State arguably has the best running back duo in college football with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Judkins profiles as more of the power back in this system, and he’s proven to handle a full workload. Durability is not a concern. It’s conceivable that this backfield could be split 55/45, with Judkins possibly garnering the bigger workload between the two running backs. Judkins brings good contact balance and play strength to absorb defenders and fight through them to gain additional yards. Judkins pairs that with nimble footwork, which makes him hard to tackle. His power and footwork give him an edge once he gets to the second level, and he has the elusiveness to make defenders miss. Judkins rounded out his profile this past season with 22 receptions. I like Judkins's patience and vision behind the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t panic and will allow his blocks to form; when he finds the hole, he quickly attacks. Judkins is a tough player. He fought through an injury this past season, and it was evident that he wasn’t anywhere close to 100% in the early part of the season, but he toughed it out and has proven to be a durable running back that is physical in every sense of the word. Going to Ohio State and having TreVeyon Henderson will help Judkins, as he won’t be asked to take on a full workload and can be fresher down the stretch in each game and later in the season. Judkins and Henderson should be able to feed off one another as they are different styles of runners and can complement each other. Judkins brings that physicality and short area burst to punish defenders and should eat up a lot of carries and goal-line work, whereas Henderson is more of that finesse runner who looks to get to the edge and win with speed.

Improvements/Concerns