Ole Miss Running Back Quinshon Judkins Signs New NIL Agreement With Grove Collective
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Grove Collective made its first big splash of the offseason on Thursday morning, finalizing a new NIL agreement with Ole Miss Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins that will run through the 2023-24 season.
Judkins' deal comes after the tailback led the Rebels and the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards (1,476) and rushing touchdowns (16) as a true freshman. The Pike Road, Ala., native is a semi-finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award and received the Conerly Trophy on Tuesday, which is annually bestowed to the most outstanding college football player in Mississippi.
Judkins was named the SEC Freshman of the Week five times this fall and currently leads all freshmen nationally in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, rushing touchdowns, all-purpose yards, scoring, and total touchdowns.
With a bowl game remaining, Judkins ranks third all-time amongst SEC freshmen in rushing yards, behind running backs Herschel Walker (1,616 yds, Georgia, 1980) and Nick Chubb (1,547, Georgia, 2014).
The Grove Collective reached a major NIL milestone last Wednesday when the group surpassed its 2023 revenue goal of 10 million dollars in NIL funding for Ole Miss student athletes. The partnership between Judkins and the Grove Collective posits that Ole Miss is ready and willing to give its athletes the best in NIL opportunities.
This is what the Executive Director of the Grove Collective, Walker Jones, had to say about the agreement with Judkins.
"We are very excited to reach an agreement with Quinshon and further support his NIL initiatives and platform," Jones said. "As we saw this year, Quinshon is a transformational talent and a great representative of our University"
Jones was adamant that the new agreement was thanks to the support from the Grove Collective's members.
"This is a clear message that we have the resources and commitment to support and retain the best athletes in the country at Ole Miss," Jones said. "Thanks again to all our fans for supporting our collective and all our student athletes, and we appreciate Quinshon and his family for trusting us in this process.
Here's Judkins' statement on his new deal.
"I am thrilled to continue my relationship with the Grove Collective and continue my football career here at Ole Miss," Judkins said. "As Coach Kiffin said, we are building something special here, and I’m looking forward to competing for championships with the best players in the country for the best fans in the country! I want to thank my coaches, teammates, Ole Miss and most importantly my family for all their support this year. Let’s go Rebel Nation!"
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