The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Emerges As the Favorite for Transfer RB Quinshon Judkins After Visit, 2025 RB Jeffery Overton Puts OSU in Top 10

By Garrick Hodge on January 8, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Quinshon Judkins
Brett Davis – USA TODAY Sports
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Arguably the most talented player available in the transfer portal market visited Ohio State on Sunday.

And according to a source, Ohio State has emerged as the frontrunner to land Ole Miss transfer running back Quinshon Judkins following his trip to Columbus, though there’s no timetable for a decision as of yet. 

Ohio State is still waiting on a decision from star running back TreVeyon Henderson regarding his future, but if he opts to return to Columbus for another year, that wouldn’t necessarily prevent OSU from adding Judkins. Nor would a Judkins commitment mean that Henderson has decided to enter the 2024 NFL draft.

Judkins, who entered the transfer portal after two years at Ole Miss on Thursday, is the first SEC player since Herschel Walker to score 15-plus touchdowns in each of his first two college seasons. In 2023, Judkins ran for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns on 271 carries while adding 22 catches for 149 yards and two receiving touchdowns. In his freshman season, he ran for 1,567 yards on 274 carries with 16 rushing touchdowns.

If the Buckeyes can land Judkins and Henderson opts to return to OSU, the Buckeyes would boast arguably the best backfield in the country, made even more dangerous by new quarterback Will Howard’s rushing ability. 

Jeffery Overton puts OSU in his top 10

An Ohio State running back target in the 2025 class has narrowed down his recruitment. Virginia prospect Jeffery Overton released a top 10 on Sunday consisting of Ohio State, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Syracause.

He picked up his OSU offer on Dec. 11. 

“It felt great, definitely humbling getting a big school like that to offer you, it showcases your skills and ability to play the game,” Overton told Eleven Warriors after receiving his offer. 

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Overton helped lead Freedom High School (Woodbridge, Virginia) to an undefeated 14-0 season after he ran for 2,329 yards with 44 touchdowns this season. He’s considered a three-star prospect per 247Sports’ composite rankings and is ranked as the 621st overall prospect and the 52nd-best tailback in the 2025 class.

“I would say I’m elusive,” Overton said describing his on-field game. “I can run outside and outrun people, but also I’m physical, I could run you over or stiff-arm you. There’s not just one person that can tackle me.”

Overton will likely commit sometime this summer after he takes his official visits.

Ethan Long commits to Notre Dame

One of Ohio State’s safety targets in the 2025 class is off the board. Four-star 2025 Connecticut prospect Ethan Long committed to Notre Dame on Monday, choosing the Fighting Irish over the Buckeyes and a handful of other schools. 

Long was considered the 317th-ranked prospect and the 23rd-rated safety in the 2025 class. He visited OSU multiple times over the past six months and was offered by the Buckeyes during a recruiting camp in June. 

With Long no longer on the board, OSU will turn its focus to the likes of other safety targets such as Jonah Williams, Trey McNutt, Anthony Sacca, Jadyn Hudson, Messiah Delhomme and Faheem Delane. 

Social media reactions from Devin Sanchez’s commitment 

In case you missed it on Saturday, Ohio State landed the country’s No. 2 cornerback in the 2025 class in five-star Texas prospect Devin Sanchez. With Sanchez now in the fold for OSU, Tim Walton has now landed two top-10 cornerbacks in each of the last three recruiting cycles. 

Following Sanchez’s commitment, reactions poured in from OSU commits, staff members, current players and other recruiting targets on social media. We’ve compiled some of their reactions below.

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