Chase Young

Chase Young (born April 14, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a junior in 2019, Young broke Ohio State's single-season sack record with 16.5, winning him several awards and honors, such as the Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award, and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, as well as being named a unanimous All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist.

Chase Young was born on April 14, 1999 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland to parents Greg and Carla Young. Young first attended St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland from 2013-2014, winning the MIAA C Conference championship with them in his sophomore year, before transferring to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland in 2015. During his senior season at DeMatha in 2016, he and the team won the state's football championship.

Young was considered one of the top 10 players in the nation, and was named Washington Post's all-metropolitan defensive player of the year, as well as included on the U.S. Army All-American and American Family Insurance all-USA Football teams. In November 2016, Young committed to attend Ohio State University, later choosing to major in criminology.

Young recorded four sacks as a freshman for the Ohio State Buckeyes. During his sophomore season, Young sprained both ankles but still managed to record 10.5 sacks on the season. He came on strong after fellow defensive end Nick Bosa was injured in the latter part of the season, recording three sacks in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game against Northwestern.

During his junior season, Young tied Ohio State school records for single-game sacks (four) and tackles for loss (five) in a win against Wisconsin. After the game, OSU head coach Ryan Day called Young the "most dominant player" in all of college football. In November 2019, he was suspended for two games for getting an unauthorized loan from a family friend, which he later repaid in full. In his first game after returning, Young recorded three sacks against Penn State. He ended the season with 16.5 in total, which broke the single-season school record that was previously held by Vernon Gholston (2007).

Young won several awards and honors for his 2019 season, including the Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chicago Tribune Silver Football, Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, and Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was unanimously named to the 2019 College Football All-America Team and first-team All-Big Ten, and finished as a runner-up for the Maxwell Award, as well as fourth in Heisman Trophy voting behind quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Fields. After the season, Young decided to forgo his senior year by declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, where he is considered by many to be the best overall prospect.

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