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Beware the Predator: Ohio State’s Chase Young

Garrett Kroeger

By Garrett Kroeger

Published:

Beware The Predator.

It’s a ritual that every freshman has gone through since Urban Meyer arrived to Columbus back in 2012.

Every freshman begins their career with a black stripe on their helmet. When they lose their black stripe, they become an official Buckeye. And on Aug. 9, the freshman who might have the biggest impact for a first-year Ohio State player lost his.

 

Standing at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, it is impossible to miss freshman defensive end Chase Young on the practice field. He towers above everyone.

Coming to Columbus, Young is the nation’s No. 2 weak-side defensive end coming out of high school and the No. 6 player in the class overall. And since stepping foot onto Ohio State’s campus, Young has garnered considerable hype.

Despite the preseason love, most will say it will be hard for Young to see the field during his first year in Columbus. The reason for that is because the Buckeyes have arguably the deepest defensive line in the country.

Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who has been a head coach in the National Football League, called the Buckeyes’ 2017 line the best he has ever coached. And it is not hard to see why.

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Ohio State’s two starting defensive ends are senior Tyquan Lewis and junior Sam Hubbard. Last season, Lewis was named the B1G’s Defensive Lineman of the Year while Hubbard impressed in just his second year at the position. The two ends combined for 75 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.

Lewis and Hubbard were so good last year, that stud freshman Nick Bosa found a hard time getting on the field as defensive end. The Buckeyes had to utilize Bosa at defensive tackle sometimes because he was so talented and they did not want to waste his skills behind Lewis and Hubbard and Lewis. As a backup freshman, Bosa recorded 29 tackles and five sacks. And other backup defensive end, redshirt senior Jalyn Holmes, is no slouch either.

There are four quality players that stand between Young and seeing the field as freshman. For some newcomers, those odds would be to large. But not Young. The Maryland native has the talent to overcome them and make an impact as a freshman for Ohio State.

 

Back in early May, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson made it very clear that Young would have a chance to compete for playing time.

“He will have an opportunity to compete,” Johnson told BuckNuts. “I think that is the bottom line. The thing that we have got to be careful about, that even if we have four guys returning, those four guys have got to work to keep their jobs, keep their status. It is going to be an open process, always have the ability to play the best players on the field. If he walks in and is ready to go and has a chance to help us, then there is a good chance that we are going to find a way to use him.”

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Since Young arrived to Ohio State, he has proved he is ready for the collegiate level.

During B1G Media Days, Lewis called Young a “different type of specimen” and that he is a “sponge” when it comes to learning from the veterans. Lewis was not the only teammate who has been impressed by Young. Left tackle Jamarco Jones is excited about the freshman defensive end as well.

 

It is easy to hype up freshmen early in their careers, especially if they look like Young. However, Ohio State may have given some indication that Young will play this season. During some practices when the defensive line is going through drills, Young has gone off to work with Lewis and Hubbard on special teams.

While Ohio State may have the deepest and probably the fittest defensive line in the country, there are a lot of reps in a football game. Sometimes, there can be upward of 90-100 reps. That means, players will need breaks.

It might be hard for Young to see the field given the four ends in front of him. But he has the size and skill set to see playing time during his first year in Columbus. If Young lives up to the hype, Ohio State should have another predator this season.

Garrett Kroeger