Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins leaving early for NFL draft - ESPN

Ohio State star running back Quinshon Judkins is leaving school early and will declare for the NFL draft, he told ESPN.

His addition to the 2025 draft highlights another high-end tailback, as Judkins is projected to be a Top 50 pick, according to NFL scouts, and ranks as the No. 5 overall running back in the upcoming draft in Mel Kiper Jr.'s position rankings.

Judkins was at Ohio State for just one season and left as a national champion, and his decision comes off a dazzling three-touchdown performance in Ohio State's victory over Notre Dame on Monday night. Judkins ran for 100 yards on 11 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. He caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.

«My time here at Ohio State was like no other,» Judkins told ESPN in a phone interview. «It was like no other place I've ever been. I enjoyed my time here so much. I'm ready to take the next step in my journey and prove I'm best running back in the draft class.»

On the season in Columbus, he ran for 1,060 yards, caught 22 passes for 161 yards and scored 16 touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Judkins split carries at Ohio State with senior tailback TreVeyon Henderson, who is Kiper's No. 9 tailback prospect. Judkins said his time at Ohio State helped prepare him for this step, as he saw value being around so many NFL players and bonding together to win.

«My coaches helped so much take my game to next level and develop me into a better player,» he said. «It was a super beneficial mentality to have being a pro, it helped me so much in that aspect.

»Playing around the best players in the country. You get to compete against the best players. It helped me sharpen my tools."

He came to Ohio State last year after two seasons at Ole Miss. In Oxford, he was a