Judkins named first-team preseason all-SEC

Sophomore Running Back Coming Off Record-Breaking 2022 Season

Photo credit: Ole Miss football on Twitter

Ole Miss football sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins has been named first-team Preseason All-SEC on Friday in a vote by media members at the 2023 SEC Media Days this past week.

This is the latest award in a long line for Judkins, who has also already been named both a first-team Preseason All-American and first-team Preseason All-SEC honoree by Walter Camp, Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele. Judkins is coming off a historic freshman season in 2022, during which he was named CBS’ National Freshman of the Year, On3’s Offensive True Freshman of the Year, the SEC Newcomer and SEC Freshman of the Year, as well as a first-team Freshman All-American by three different publications.

Last season, Judkins set the Ole Miss single-season records in both rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16), and ended the year ranked in the national top-10 in rushing yards (No. 7), rushing touchdowns (No. 10) and total touchdowns with 17 (No. 10).

Judkins put together one of the greatest seasons ever by an SEC freshman running back in 2022. His 1,567 yards ranks as the second-most ever by a freshman in SEC history, trailing only Georgia’s Herschel Walker, who ran for 1,616 yards in 1980. Judkins’ historic season also ended ranked No. 11 all-time among Power-5 freshmen and was the most since 2017.

Additionally, Ole Miss was slotted fourth in the Western Division in the preseason media poll behind Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State rounded out the West standings.

In the East, Georgia was picked as the favorite followed by Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Georgia, the defending national champions, was picked to hoist the trophy at the end of the season, followed by Alabama in second.