Trading in for a Bentley: Ole Miss went down the hall to secure its lead Judkins replacement

Now-former Ole Miss star second-year running back Quinshon Judkins entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last week. 

The Rebels potentially locked in his leading replacement four days later. 

They didn’t have to go outside the halls of the Manning Center to do it, either. Ole Miss, on Monday, announced the long-expected return of Ulysses Bentley, IV, for what will be his third, and final, Rebel season. Bentley, IV, transferred in from SMU in March of 2022.

Bentley, IV, led Ole Miss in yards per carry (5.7) last season. He’s rushed for 613 combined yards over the last two years, including 540 on 95 attempts and four touchdowns this season. Bentley, IV, helped lead the Rebels to their first 11-win season, capped by a 38-25 blowout of Penn State in the Peach Bowl. 

“(Judkins) is pretty much the power back. He pretty much runs through the holes (and is) able to just run people over and do all types of things,” Bentley, IV, said earlier this season. “But me, I’m liable to look through different runs and schemes and stuff like that to win my one-on-ones. I kind of got a little finesse game to myself.”

The Rebels are likely to add to the room in the off-season.

However, the depth chart for next season, at least for now, starts with Bentley, IV. Second-year rusher Kedrick Reescano is the current favorite to back him up. Reescano — who is similar in playing style to Judkins — is a former four-star and Top 100 prospect. 

Ole Miss has been linked to a couple of transfer backs, among them Logan Diggs, previously of LSU. For now, though, the Rebels are almost exclusively focused on offensive linemen in the portal. They appear on the verge of soon (officially) landing North Carolina tackle Diego Pounds, and they’re expected to bring in LSU’s Lance Heard and Tennessee’s Gerald Mincey for visits.

Judkins set a new single-season Ole Miss record for rushing yards as a true freshman. He had another 1,000-yard season as a sophomore. His departure was a mutual decision, as previously reported by the Ole Miss Spirit. Judkins visited Ohio State over the weekend.

Bentley, IV, started 14 of a possible 21 games at SMU. He was second on the team in 2021 with 96 carries for 610 yards and four touchdowns. He had 838 all-purpose yards. Bentley, IV, led The American in rushing (913) as a freshman. His 11 touchdowns were a freshman single-season SMU record.

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Bentley, IV, was hurt for most all of his debut Ole Miss season.

He rushed for at least 90 yards in a game — against Arkansas, in October — for the first time since he was with SMU in November of 2021. He had another 90-yard effort a week later against Auburn. Bentley, IV, carried three times for 19 yards in the Peach Bowl. He made 11 total catches for 87 yards and a touchdown this season.

Ole Miss hasn’t yet committed a high school or transfer running back. The Rebels were a finalist for four-star Kewan Lacy, but Lacy ended up at Missouri. 

But whether they bring in another in the coming weeks and months or not, atop the priority list was locking down Bentley, who’d accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game. He’ll be coming back on a renegotiated NIL contract with the Grove Collective, Ole Miss leading NIL avenue. 

The Rebels are considered a trendy pick for the College Football Playoff next season — when the field expands to 12 teams — even with Bentley elevated in the absence of Judkins. Ole Miss has been ranked in the Top 10 in each of the last three seasons. The Peach Bowl was the Rebels’ second New Year’s Six in four years.

Ole Miss currently boasts the nation’s No. 3 overall transfer class, as ranked by On3. Leading the Rebels’ haul is Walter Nolen, the Texas A&M transfer defensive tackle and portal’s top-ranked player. 

The Rebels also reeled in the top-two EDGE rushers (Florida’s Princely Umanmielen and Tennessee’s Tyler Barron), top linebacker (Arkansas’ Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul), top wide receiver (South Carolina’s Juice Wells) and No. 4 cornerback (Mississippi State’s Decamerion Richardson).