The Ohio State Buckeyes landed a massive transfer this past offseason, poaching running back Quinshon Judkins from the Mississippi Rebels.
Being that he played for Ole Miss, Judkins is no stranger to rabid fan bases, but he revealed a key difference between the two schools: capacity.
“Over 100,000 (fans),” Judkins said, referencing Ohio State’s attendance in its season opener against Akron (via Brandon Little of A to Z Sports). “Being at Ole Miss, I only got to see that at away games.”
To be clear, Judkins was not taking a shot at the Mississippi fans here. Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Mississippi has a capacity of just over 64,000 people. Meanwhile, Ohio Stadium can hold in the neighborhood of 103,000.
That is certainly a massive difference.
Judkins definitely didn’t seem bothered by all of the extra fans in the building, as he carried the ball 13 times for 55 yards and a touchdown on the Buckeyes’s 52-6 win.
The 20-year-old began his collegiate career at Ole Miss in 2022 and immediately established himself as an elite rusher, racking up 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Then, last season, Judkins registered 1,158 yards and 15 scores on the ground, logging 4.3 yards per attempt.
Judkins transferred to Ohio State and now shares the backfield with TreVeyon Henderson, giving the Buckeyes one of the most lethal running back tandems in the country.
He is also widely considered one of the best halfback prospects heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ohio State will host Western Michigan on Saturday evening.
The Ohio State Buckeyes fell to the Oregon Ducks, 32-31, in a primetime thriller between top five teams on Saturday in Eugene, OR.
The game came down to the final possession, where the Buckeyes drove down the field in hopes of setting up for at least a game-winning field goal try. However, clock management and an offensive pass interference call on freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith proved to be consequential in the one-point loss, that was sealed after quarterback Will Howard lost track of time on a scramble and couldn’t use the team’s final timeout before time expired.
Despite the close loss, it’s clear that the Buckeyes are still one of the top national championship contenders in the sport. While disappointed in the loss, star running back Quinshod Judkins was encouraged by his team’s fight.
“My team, you know, we’re fighters,” Judkins told Sports Illustrated‘s Claudette Montana on behalf of his partnership with Icy Hot. “It really just came down to the last play. That whole game, our guys fought on both sides of the ball and I’m just super glad to see how our guys responded to adversity.”
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