Before Ohio State steamrolled its way to the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, the Buckeyes hit some serious turbulence. Ryan Day’s group lost to the team up north for the fourth consecutive year, which shook the entire program to its core, even first-year transfer running back Quinshon Judkins.
“We all felt the same way,” Judkins said in an interview with Stacking the Box ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. “When you transfer to Ohio State, you’re a part of the rivalry, and it’s in your blood. You want to win that game, it’s one of the most important things.”
While the 13-10 loss in Columbus led the rest of the college football world to doubt the Buckeyes, Judkins and his teammates never wavered in their confidence, which has been a theme throughout the star running back’s career.
“In this game of football that we play, you have to have short-term memory to be able to adjust and move forward, and I felt like for myself, not losing faith in my teammates, and nobody losing faith in each other,” Judkins said. “We all believed in each other, so what’s that next step that we can take to move forward?”
Judkins is asking a similar question this offseason as he prepares for the draft as a likely Day 2 pick in a loaded running back class, and he asked himself the same thing last offseason when he made the bold move to come to Ohio State.
Check out Judkin's full interview with Stacking the Box and visit OldSpice.com to learn more about his partnership and the School of Swagger mentorship program.
Judkins unafraid of Buckeyes backfield split with TreVeyon Henderson
After two seasons as the bellcow back at Ole Miss, Judkins took a risk transferring to Ohio State, where Henderson was already entrenched as a multi-year starter. Some viewed the decision as a strategic move to position himself for the NFL draft with less tread worn off his tires, but for Judkins, it was all about winning a championship.
“That really wasn’t something that I thought about in my decision. For myself, it was just going to a place where I could take my game to the next level, and then just go compete for a national championship.”
Still, in the eyes of NFL evaluators, it worked out in Judkins' favor. Despite playing 16 games, Judkins posted a career-low 194 carries, just 50 more than Henderson at 144, and the junior Ole Miss transfer produced a season on par with his freshman-year efficiency, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt.
The decision to come to Columbus worked out in everyone’s favor, with Judkins scoring three touchdowns in the National Title Game and both he and Henderson likely to hear their names called early in this year’s draft.