Judkins picks Ole Miss over Auburn and Notre Dame
Ole Miss have added a crucial piece to their 2022 class now that three-star Pike Road (Ala.) running back Quinshon Judkins has officially announced his verbal commitment to the Rebels.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder chose Ole Miss over Auburn and Notre Dame on the heels of taking official visits to South Bend, Ind. and Oxford, Miss in September.
"It feels great to go ahead and get it out of the way," Judkins said, adding that Lane Kiffin's offensive style played a huge role in his choice. "I made a decision on where I am going to school and now I can focus on my guys and the rest of my high school season."
Judkins also holds notable offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee. The nation’s 30th-ranked running back has run for 2,613 yards and 41 touchdowns his last two seasons, leading Pike Road to back-to-back 11-1 seasons in Alabama’s 5A classification.
"Ole Miss is getting a great player," AL.com's Ben Thomas said. "I can't wait to see him next year."
This season, Pike Road is off to a 6-0 start behind Judkins exploding back onto the scene after sitting out a few weeks with a quad injury, helping them to an early No. 1 ranking in 5A. In his first two games back, he has run for 240 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 8.3 yards per carry.
"I'm a team goal," Judkins said. "The first goal is to win a state championship with my team. I just want to win."
Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith made Judkins his top priority early on and it was enough to fend off the in-state Tigers, Fighting Irish and several other Power-5 programs.
ANALYSIS: Judkins is an impressive looking prospect who appears to be the total package with home-run speed and lateral quickness that makes him extremely difficult to corral in tight spaces. On top of that, he’s extremely durable, carrying the football 150 times over the course of 12 games and eclipsing the 100-yard mark nine times in 2020 en route to a Class 5A All-State selection.
He will also be a weapon out in the open field when he’s not taking handoffs from the quarterback. Judkins is a violent runner with plenty of physicality between the tackles and he is not shy when it comes to taking on defenders in the secondary.
Judkins looks built for SEC football already and will be an immediate jolt in the arm for Ole Miss’ running back room, presumably joining Kentrell Bullock, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish Jr. in 2022.