Ole Miss Running Back Quinshon Judkins Entering The Transfer Portal Perfectly Portrays Just How Dumb College Football Has Become

College football is broken. That's a phrase every college football fan around the country has heard every single day since the NIL era began. While we've had countless examples of just how broken the sport is, Quinshon Judkins entering the transfer portal portrays another avenue in college football, and that's how dumb it has become.

I, like most others these days, am very much on board with college athletes being paid for their name, image, and likeness. But as always, money has complicated everything. It's also wiped away any semblance of loyalty among student-athletes. The NCAA being inept in every way imaginable isn't helping, but that's a story for another day. Millions of dollars being thrown at 17-23-year-olds is the driving force here.

Ole Miss is coming off of an 11-win season and will undoubtedly be a Top 10 team to begin the 2024 campaign. Lane Kiffin and staff has also secured the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has announced he is returning, wide receiver Tre Harris has done the same, and the Rebels return experienced talent on both sides of the ball.

Jaxson Dart will be returning to Ole Miss, but Quinshon Judkins could be out the door. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Expectations For Ole Miss Have Never Been Greater

Ole Miss' schedule next season isn't a gauntlet either, and with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next season, it would be more surprising not to see the Rebels earn a spot than actually receive one.

Expectations heading into next year, both realistic and from those who wear red and blue glasses, have never been higher in the history of Ole Miss football.

So, why would Judkins potentially leave what you could argue is the most exciting program not only in the SEC but all of college football? Money, of course.

There is a chance, albeit likely a very small one, that Judkins could return to Ole Miss next season even after entering the portal. This move is simply a play to secure a bigger bag of cash from the Rebels.

But that doesn't make the situation any less dumb.

Quinshon Judkins Threat To Leave Ole Miss Paints A Grim Picture

Judkins was a three-star recruit out of Pike Road High School in Alabama. While he did receive scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida State, and other Power Five programs Kiffin and the Ole Miss staff were able to earn his signature.

Ole Miss without Quinshon Judkins is not the same Ole Miss. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

In two seasons, all the Ole Miss staff has done is turn him into one of the best running backs in the country and a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate heading into his junior year.

Judkins has been given 545 carries, rushed for 2,725 yards, and scored 34 total touchdowns in two seasons for the Rebels. He would be the focal point of Ole Miss' offense yet again in 2024. There is no statistic-driven reality Judkins could have ever dreamt up that would be better than the one that's unfolded for him in Oxford in his first two seasons.

Regardless of that fact, Judkins still may leave Ole Miss for a program with lesser expectations all to collect a paycheck with a number on it he deems more fit.

Whether he elects to suit up for the Rebels next season or not Judkins entering the portal is nothing but a threat, and college athletes threatening programs that have done nothing but turn them into a success story simply sucks.

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com