Quinshon Judkins is fully validated in leaving Ole Miss for Ohio State in the portal

It had to have been a very difficult decision for him. Quinshon Judkins was a two-year star at Ole Miss, arguably the best running back in the SEC. He had been on great, but not outstanding teams during his two years in Oxford. Under-recruited out of high school, Ohio State came calling in the transfer portal and he answered the bell, joining an ensemble cast featuring TreVeyon Henderson.

Judkins still had his success this fall in Columbus, but it has not been akin to the 1,000-yard rushing seasons he had as an underclassmen at Ole Miss. Running backs only have so long of a shelf live, so teaming up with Henderson and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard in Columbus seemed like the right way to go. Ole Miss had another fine season without him, but guess where they are now?

As the Rebels prepare to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl on Thursday, Ohio State is moving on to the Cotton Bowl to face the Texas Longhorns in the national semifinals of the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. This season was supposed to be the year that Ole Miss finally made the playoff. Instead, the Rebels played with their food vs. Kentucky and Florida and paid for it.

Judkins put team and NIL ahead of himself and personal accolades last offseason and was rewarded.

Quinshon Judkins made the smart choice to transfer to Ohio State

No matter what happens in the Cotton Bowl vs. Texas, or potentially in the national championship game in Atlanta should the Buckeyes even get that far, Judkins is validated in transferring to Ohio State from Ole Miss for so many reasons. He can turn pro after this season if he wants to, with a bit more tread on the tires than he otherwise would have had had he simply stated put over at Ole Miss.

Ohio State may have been a common fixture in the four-team playoff format of the previous decade, but again, this was the year that Ole Miss was supposed to make it. The Buckeyes may have been a lock to make it like Georgia, Oregon, Texas and arguably Penn State inevitably were. Ole Miss was thought to be cut from the same cloth at Notre Dame this season, and they lost three SEC games...

At the end of the day, playoff expansion should reward programs like Ole Miss who have done more right than wrong of late, but have been the epitome of close, but no cigar. However, you gotta make it happen. For whatever reason, Lane Kiffin never seems to do that. For as good of a head coach he has been at his last two stops, what does it say that Judkins picked Ryan Day over him for his junior year?

Day may have been born on third base, but Kiffin continues to not be a serious groundhog/person.