Analyzing The Dynamic One-Two Punch Of TreVeyon Henderson And Quinshon Judkins At Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes' running back room is in good hands with two top-tier running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs over Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Tre'Von Jones (2) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Ohio State Buckeyes have two of the most explosive running backs headed into the 2024-25 season. TreVeyon Henderson has been with the Buckeyes for several seasons and when healthy is a super dangerous ball carrier.

The experienced college running back from Hopewell, Virginia immediately got off to a great start with the Buckeyes back in 2021 as a true freshman, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns on 183 carries. Then in 2022, Henderson battled through an injury-plagued season due to a broken bone in his foot. Despite losing a bunch of time and not being 100 percent when he did play, Henderson carried the ball 107 times for 571 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season, Henderson bounced back from 2022, but did not touch the ball as many times as he did in his freshman season. On 156 carries, the star running back ran for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns. The nearly 1,000-yard season combined with the abilities of Henderson was certainly good enough to get him drafted early in the 2024 NFL Draft. Instead, Henderson decided that he and the Buckeyes have more to prove and returned for another season.

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Head coach Ryan Day sat down with Joel Klatt for an interview recently and the full interview was released on Monday. Day actually discussed the moment that Quinshon Judkins, the star running back from Ole Miss, entered the transfer portal.

"When Quinshon entered the portal, the first person I called was TreVeyon Henderson. I said, 'Trey, you gotta give me some feedback on this.' He said, 'Coach, can I call you back the next day'," explained Day. "He called me right back and said, 'Coach, if it's best for the team, then let's do it.'"

Day then explained that when he spoke to Judkins about Henderson not going to the NFL and staying with the Buckeyes, the response from Judkins was, "Great!"

Judkins did make the decision to transfer to the Buckeyes to form perhaps the most dangerous one-two punch in the entire landscape of college football this coming season.

April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins (1) of the scarlet team is tagged by cornerback Davison Igbinsosun (1) of the grey team during the first half of the LifeSports spring football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

In two seasons with Ole Miss, the talented running back from Pike Road, Alabama, ran for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. In 2022, his 274 carries for 1,567 yards led to 16 touchdowns on the ground. In 2023, he then had a very similar output with 271 carries for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Not only could the partnership turn into a lethal part of Ohio State's offensive attack, but splitting carries could also help prevent Judkins from needing to carry the ball 270+ times in a season. Staying healthy while also producing will be important for both Henderson and Judkins as they look to go to the NFL soon.

Both running backs are widely considered to be two of the top ten running back prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. In Tankathon's most recent mock draft, Judkins and Henderson happen to be two of the first three running backs taken off the board. They have Judkins going to the Cincinnati Bengals at pick 28 and then Henderson going to the Las Vegas Raiders at pick 39.

It will be interesting to see how the two-headed monster in the backfield truly fares this coming year. If things go well in Chip Kelly's offense, then Ohio State will be a nightmare to try and stop due to already having a ton of talent at wide receiver as well.