Nick Saban bemoans Alabama missing out on Ole Miss freshman Quinshon Judkins

Much was made of Ole Miss‘ running back room this season, with a couple of flashy names entering the program via the transfer portal. Little did we know, true freshman Quinshon Judkins would wind up having the biggest impact of the season. A new test is now ahead of Judkins, going up against Alabama on Saturday.

Nick Saban was asked what he saw in Judkins, having a laundry list of compliments for the freshman running back.

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“He’s a good player,” said Saban during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “He’s had an outstanding year. He’s had a lot of production. Guy is a really, really good competitor. Does a good job of executing the plays they ask him to run. He’s relentless in the way he carries the ball. He’s tough, he runs behind his pads. He can make you miss. He’s got pretty good speed.”

“A lot of production” would be correct from Saban, with Judkins currently sitting second in the SEC in rushing. He has gone for 1,036 yards on 180 attempts while leading the conference with 13 touchdowns. Even with Alabama being a top rush defense in the country, Saban will have his hands full against Judkins.

Nick Saban discusses recruiting Quinshon Judkins

While Judkins is at Ole Miss, he left the state of Alabama to get there. Although he might have not been the most highly recruited player, it’s rare Saban is not on top of one of the best in the state. Saban said “in hindsight,” he wishes Judkins was wearing the road whites in Oxford on Saturday afternoon.

“We looked at him coming out last year,” said Saban. “In hindsight, it’d be great if he was on our team.”

There was no official offer for Judkins from Alabama coming out of Pike Road. Three other in-state programs were in on Judkins though, with Auburn, South Alabama, and UAB having interest. Saban wound up signing Jamarion Miller from Tyler, TX as a running back take in the 2022 class.

Judkins was ranked a three-star prospect by the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services. He was the No. 37 running back in the country and No. 23 player from the state of Alabama.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has told the story of watching Judkins in the rain during Pike Road’s state championship game. Stealing one from the state of Alabama, even if the Crimson Tide were not fully involved, is something Kiffin will hang his hat on.