TreVeyon Henderson, an Ohio State star and first-team All Big Ten running back, revealed Friday that he will return to the Buckeyes for his senior season. His news comes after Ohio State received a pledge from Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, the transfer cycle’s top-ranked running back, according to 247Sports.
In 2024, the two will form what should be an explosive backfield duo for the Buckeyes. Henderson is just the latest Ohio State player to forego the draft in favor of another college season as the Buckeyes want to reclaim their title-winning ways.
Henderson, the No. 2 ranked running back in the 2024 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, could have been a first-to-second round pick in April after rushing for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games last season.
Many people expected Henderson would go once Judkins committed. His return, however, will provide head coach Ryan Day the option of shifting his system toward a more run-oriented approach next season as Ohio State looks to recover Big Ten supremacy. Henderson was rated a five-star prospect in the Class of 2021 and has lived up to the expectations by rushing for 2,745 yards in three seasons while struggling with injuries the previous two years.
Henderson and Judkins together
With Henderson and Judkins in the backfield, Ohio State will be better equipped to deal with diminished quarterback play in 2024. Following a wave stellar quarterback play that predates Day’s coaching tenure, the Buckeyes dealt with a drop off at the position in 2023 as Kyle McCord took the job.
McCord threw for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns, but fell short of the elite standard set by his predecessors such as CJ Stroud and Justin Fields. He transferred to Syracuse after the regular season. Even with Kansas State transfer Will Howard in the fold at quarterback, the Buckeyes are unlikely to produce as potent a passing game in 2024 as they have enjoyed for much of the past decade.
But with Henderson and Judkins together, they can shift into a run-oriented style that relies more heavily on an ever-improving defense. At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, Judkins profiles similarly to Henderson, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 212 pounds. Judkins surpassed 1,000 yards rushing each of the past two seasons at Ole Miss and is ranked the No. 5 overall transfer of the cycle by 247Sports. Both are punishing runners and capable pass catchers who can alternate plays or possessions without any dramatic change to the game plan.
In 2019 and 2020 LSU and Alabama used high-flying passing attacks to go a combined 28-0 and win national championships. But over the past three seasons, the balance of power in college football has shifting back toward grinding, physical football. Georgia won titles in 2021 and 2022 on the back of elite defenses while playing a former walk-on at quarterback in Stetson Bennett IV. Michigan’s national title in 2023 also came on the back of a dominant defense and a great running game.
Ohio State has lost three straight to Michigan. But the Buckeyes’ 2024 roster is shaping up to have the physicality and force required to match the mold for success the Wolverines have established. Henderson’s announcement only underscores that idea.
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