'The stage isn't too big': Freshman Quinshon Judkins is settling in nicely at Ole Miss
When the season started the running back room was a group instilled with confidence after Ole Miss’ success in the transfer portal and the recruiting trail.
Bringing in Zach Evans, Ulysses Bentley IV and Quinshon Judkins re-loaded the room that had been emptied thanks to NFL aspirations and, also, the transfer portal.
Through five games it has been the play of Judkins that has caught the eye of not just the Southeastern Conference but the country. The true freshman did not ease his toe into the pool that is college football.
Judkins did a full on cannonball.
The Pike Road, Ala. native is 11th in the country in total rushing yards with 535 and second in the SEC behind Arkansas’s Raheim Sanders’ 609 yards.
Judkins has rushed for over 100 yards in his last two games and three out of his first five of his collegiate career. It was nearly four straight games but Judkins finished at 98 yards against Georgia Tech.
“I think you never know what’s going to happen with freshman once they get there and once they play in games,” said Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference.
“There’s been all kinds, ones we thought were going to do great and didn’t. That’s always kind of a roll the dice, what’s really going to happen? Otherwise every five-star player would be great as freshman. The stage isn’t too big. He has ultra unique vision and great body-balance control. Just a very tough kid that was raised really well.”
The Ole Miss freshman’s play has been recognized twice this season by the league office, receiving weekly honors.
Judkins was named the Co-Freshman Player of the Week for a second time this week after his performance in the win against Kentucky.
He finished with 15 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Over the past two games Judkins’ has taken on a larger load due to Evans dealing with an injury. Both have played but it has been Judkins becoming the bell cow.
In both the Tulsa and Kentucky games Judkins had a combined 42 carries for 246 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
With the extent of Evans’ injury unknown, and Bently still dealing with an arm injury of his own, it appears Judkins could be the lead back that will serve as the anchor to the Ole Miss offense as SEC play progresses.
“(Judkins was) great. He was really struggling early in the week physically from all the pounding two weeks ago, but he was better by the end of the week,” Kiffin said on Monday. “He was good today even though it was a walkthrough. He didn’t take the pounding that he took the week before. He’s doing a phenomenal job.”
Whenever Judkins produces another touchdown or highlight rell-worthy play there is a viral photo that always resurfaces.
The photo is of Kiffin sitting by himself in what looks to be completely empty stands. He is watching Judkins play in last season’s state championship.
But what the photo serves as is a reminder that Kiffin, himself, helped seal the deal on getting Judkins to Ole Miss when in-state Auburn was also working to recruit. The Tigers missed out and now Judkins is probably being a sore reminder of that fact to the folks on The Plains.
“It was a state championship game, it went really late,” Kiffin said of the photo. “You can’t see the kids until they’re released after the game. I just remember being there a really long time. Being really impressed, he had a ton of carries that night. Put his team on his shoulders and won a state championship. Was pretty cool to see.”
