Quinshon Judkins turned in back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Ole Miss, including going over 1,500 yards as a true freshman in 2022.

Now, as a member of the Ohio State roster, he’ll get a chance to do something on Monday he’s never done: play for a national championship as the Buckeyes face Notre Dame.

“This place is different. That’s what I would say. This place is different, man,” Judkins said on Saturday during an interview with the Big Ten Network. “So many different groups of guys from so many different places. It takes a special type of person to come to Ohio State and play. Our locker room is so close, and the players here are so special, man. That’s what truly matters.”

Judkins projects as a Day 1 pick in April’s NFL Draft if he decides to forgo his final year of eligibility. That said, his immediate attention is on Monday’s championship game.

With 183 carries, he is 40 yards shy of another 1,000-yard season, while he leads the team with 12 rushing touchdowns. In the Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas on Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium, he had just 9 carries for 36 yards, but was credited with a pair of touchdowns.

And it’s the chemistry on the Buckeyes roster that has Judkins believing that his team will come out on top on Monday.

“I think that’s why we’re at the point we’re at now, because we actually care about each other, and we actually want to go out there and win,” he added.