JACKSON — A freshman with fresh legs ran off with Mississippi’s top football award.

Ole Miss freshman running back Quinshon Judkins, who set the school’s single-season record for rushing yards and touchdowns, won the 2022 C Spire Conerly Trophy on Tuesday as Mississippi’s top college football player.

Judkins edged out fellow finalists Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

It’s the third consecutive year that an Ole Miss player has won the Conerly Trophy. Wide receiver Elijah Moore and quarterback Matt Corral won it in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Either an Ole Miss or Mississippi State player has won it every year since 2012, and 20 of the 27 years it has been awarded since its inception in 1996.

Judkins set the Ole Miss single-season record for both rushing yards (1,476) and rushing touchdowns (16). He also leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks in the top 10 nationally in total touchdowns (17) and rushing yards per game (123.0).

The Alabama native anchors an Ole Miss rushing attack that that leads the SEC and ranks No. 3 nationally in rushing yards per game (261.6 ypg).

With a bowl game still yet to be played, Ole Miss has already broken its single-season school record in rushing yards (3,139), previously set in 1957.

Judkins is having one of the greatest seasons ever by an SEC freshman running back. He currently ranks third all-time amongst conference freshmen in rushing yards, behind only Herschel Walker (1,616 yards, Georgia, 1980) and Nick Chubb (1,547 yards, Georgia, 2014).

The five-time SEC Freshman of the Week leads all freshmen nationally in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, rushing TDs, all-purpose yards, scoring and total TDs.

 CONERLY TROPHY WINNERS
2022 – Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ole Miss
2021 – Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
2020 – Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
2019 – Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State
2018 – Jeffery Simmons, DL, Mississippi State
2017 – A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss
2016 – Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
2015 – Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
2014 – Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
2013 – Gabe Jackson, OL, Mississippi State
2012 – Bo Wallace, QB, Ole Miss
2011 – Austin Davis, QB, Southern Miss
2010 – Chris White, LB, Mississippi State
2009 – Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State
2008 – Juan Joseph, QB, Millsaps
2007 – Damion Fletcher, RB, Southern Miss
2006 – Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
2005 – Jerious Norwood, RB, Mississippi State
2004 – Michael Boley, LB, Southern Miss
2003 – Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss
2002 – Rod Davis, LB, Southern Miss
2001 – Eli Manning, QB, Ole Miss
2000 – Josh Bright, QB, Delta State
1999 – Deuce McAllister, RB, Ole Miss
1998 – J.J. Johnson, RB, Mississippi State
1997 – Stewart Patridge, QB, Ole Miss
1996 – Tregnel Thomas, RB, Delta State