By: William Smythe

Player A Profile: 

Rushing Yards/total TDs in freshman year: 728 yds, 12 TDs

Most prolific year – as a sophomore: 1,658 yds, 20 TDs 

Honors: Heisman Trophy Winner, SEC Offensive Player of the Year

Player B Profile: 

Rushing yards/total TDs in freshman year: 382 yds, 3 TDs

Most prolific year – as a junior: 2,219 yds, 28 TDs

Honors: Heisman Trophy Winner, Maxwell Award Winner, SEC Offensive Player of the Year

Player C Profile: 

Rushing yards/TDs in freshman year: 766 yds, 13 TDs

Most prolific year – as a junior: 2,046 yds from scrimmage, 23 TDs

Honors: Two-time ACC Player of the Year, Consensus All-American

Player D Profile: 

Rushing yards/TDs in freshman year: 1,171 yds, 15 TDs

Still in progress…

So, who are these four players? Let’s begin with Player D: Ole Miss freshman running back Quinshon Judkins. The freshman from Alabama decided to take his talents to the ‘Sip, where his presence would be overshadowed by the off-season addition of TCU transfer and former five-star Zach Evans. No one – I mean, no one – could have foreseen the usurpation of Evans by the bruising freshman early into the season. Granted, the Rebels have established themselves as a run-first team in 2022, yet the crowded backfield has now yielded a clear alpha dog. 

Judkins has rushed for a whopping fifteen touchdowns and has scored in every game since September 10th. He’s not your average freshman – weighing in at 211 lbs. – but his style of running has struck fear into the hearts of SEC opponents. “Run the damn ball,” they say in the SEC, an expression best embodied by the fearless nature that Judkins possesses; he’s not the twitchy, receiving back that Evans is, but his strength gives him a Dameon Pierce-esque ability to put defenders on their backs. I don’t know if I’ve seen a freshman campaign as dominant as Judkins’ since that of Jonathan Taylor in 2017. You’d think ‘Bama would be the one to find a way to stop him, right? I mean surely Will Anderson would take all of that hype personally? Nope, as Judkins rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns against some of the biggest boys imaginable. 

I want to make sure this is clear: Judkins is doing this with a former five-star in the backfield. All due respect to Jonathan Taylor, but he didn’t share touches with Melvin Gordon or Montee Ball. He’s eclipsed the 100-yard mark through only ten games and will likely have three more to solidify this incredible freshman campaign. Now, who are the first three names? Player A = Mark Ingram. Player B = Derrick Henry. Player C = Travis Etienne. These are somewhat unfair comparisons in their own contexts. A freshman Derrick Henry had to contend with the likes of Alvin Kamara, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake for touches – is that the best backfield of the 21st century? Mark Ingram had to compete with junior Glen Coffey – a 1,000 yard rusher – in 2009. Travis Etienne more or less had the backfield to himself when he arrived at Clemson, but it took one year for him to break out completely. 

The point is: Judkins’ production is very, very rare for a freshman tailback in the SEC. These aren’t ACC defensive lines he is facing every weekend. The Crimson Tide, Aggies, and both the Tigers have all felt Judkins’ wrath the past four weeks. He’s somehow continuing to ascend, and, if the receiving game is unlocked, we could very well be looking at the first running back to win the Heisman since Henry and his mammoth 2015 season. I’m not slighting him, Ingram or Etienne at all for showing lesser production than Judkins in their freshman campaigns. Instead, I want to underscore just how good this kid has been and can be for the next couple of years. The Nick Chubb to the Sony Michel for this Rebels team, Judkins has it all, folks.