Ohio State loses RB Quinshon Judkins to draft, but LB Sonny Styles will return
It was a day of ups and down for the Ohio State football program.
Early on Friday, running back Quinshon Judkins, fresh off a three-touchdown performance in the national championship game, declared for the NFL Draft. Judkins, who announced his decision to ESPN, played one year with the Buckeyes, splitting snaps with TreVeyon Henderson, who will also be in the draft in April.
Later in the day, though, the team received some good news when linebacker Sonny Styles announced that he would return for his senior season.
The Buckeyes are also waiting to hear from defensive back Davison Igbinosun on his draft decision. He has until the end of the day to decide whether he wants to declare for the NFL Draft or return to Columbus.
In the meantime, let’s break down what these decisions mean for the program.
Examining Judkins’ impact
Ohio State will now have to replace both Henderson and Judkins next season, which isn’t an easy task seeing as both went over the 1,000-yard mark this season.
In his lone season with the Buckeyes, Judkins rushed for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns. His strong performance in the national championship game gave him 50 touchdowns for his career.
He transferred to Ohio State from Ole Miss with the goal of sharing snaps with Henderson and reducing the wear and tear off his body. He carried the ball just 194 times this season, 77 fewer than in 2023. In the process, he still showed the explosion and physicality he had at Ole Miss.
Judkins averaged 5.5 yards per attempt at Ohio State, but it was his ability to break tackles in the backfield that stood out. He also had a career year as a threat in the passing game, with 161 yards and two touchdowns on 22 receptions.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty will likely be the first running back taken in the draft, and probably the only one taken in the first round, but Judkins is a Day 2 prospect who has the potential to be an impact player in the NFL. His mix of speed and physicality was a difference maker for Ohio State and should be for NFL teams, as well.
What does Styles’ return mean for the Buckeyes?
Styles return is a major boost for Ohio State, which needed some returning experience. Styles moved from safety to linebacker this season and got better as the year went on.
Though Cody Simon will be gone, Styles gives the Buckeyes a linebacker who tallied 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss and will bring leadership. Next to Styles, Ohio State will be young, but talented. Arvell Reese is the expected starter next year, but four-star incoming freshman Riley Pettijohn will provide some competition and depth.
Ohio State was in danger of losing all of its experience in a crucial position, now it brings back a potential captain to anchor the middle of the defense.
