Chase Young

Chase Young was born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on April 14, 1999.[1][2] He began playing American football as a child, later attending St. Columba School in Oxon Hill, Maryland.[3] In 2013, he began attending St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, where he played high school football. He played quarterback, tight end, and outside linebacker before switching to defensive end later his freshman year.[4][5][6] As a sophomore the following year, he and the team won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C-conference championship.[7] He was also a member of the school's choir, playing the piano, saxophone, and violin.[8]

In 2015, he transferred to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he had 19 sacks and 27 tackles for loss as a junior, helping the team win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship.[9][10] In July 2016, he was invited to The Opening, a college football recruiting camp sponsored by Nike, where he was named positional MVP.[11][12][13] As a senior in 2016, he had 19 sacks, 118 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns that helped the team go undefeated and win another WCAC championship.[10][14][15] By then, he was recognized as one of the best high school football players in the nation and was included on the 2016 USA Today All-USA team and named all-metropolitan defensive football player of the year by The Washington Post.[16][17] He was also invited to the International Bowl and All-American Bowl, playing on the East team for the latter.[14][18]

Young with Ohio State playing in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl

Young received scholarship offers from over 40 universities before committing to Ohio State in July 2016, choosing them over schools such as Alabama and Maryland due to their family-oriented approach.[19][20] He also wished to play under Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who personally recruited him and whom he considered a "guru".[21][22][23] As a freshman for the Buckeyes in 2017, Young recorded 3.5 sacks, 18 tackles, and a forced fumble as a reserve player.[24][25] Young became a starter during his sophomore season, lining up alongside Nick Bosa before he suffered a season-ending injury early in the season.[25][26] Despite spraining both ankles mid-season, Young recorded 10.5 sacks that year, including three against Northwestern in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game.[25][27] He was named to that season's second-team All-Big Ten team for his performance.[28]

Young was named one of the team captains as a junior in 2019.[29] That year, he tied Ohio State school records for single-game sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5) in a win against Wisconsin.[30][31][32] In November 2019, Young was suspended for two games by the NCAA for getting an unauthorized loan from a family friend to allegedly help his girlfriend attend the 2019 Rose Bowl, which he later repaid in full.[33][34] In his first game after being reinstated, Young recorded three sacks against Penn State.[15] He ended the season with 16.5 sacks, 46 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7 forced fumbles, 3 batted passes, and a blocked field goal.[35][36] His 16.5 sacks broke the single-season school record previously held by Vernon Gholston, who had 14 in 2007.[37]

Young won several awards and honors for his performance that season, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy,[38] Chuck Bednarik Award,[39] Ted Hendricks Award,[40] Chicago Tribune Silver Football,[41] Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year,[38] and Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year.[38] In addition, he was named the Walter Camp defensive player of the week for his performances against Wisconsin and Penn State,[42] and was unanimously named to the 2019 All-Big Ten and All-America teams.[43][44] He was also named a finalist for the Walter Camp Award,[45] Maxwell Award,[46] and Heisman Trophy, becoming only the ninth defensive player since 1982 to be nominated for the latter, where he finished fourth in voting behind quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Fields.[47][48] Young was also voted the Big Ten Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year, which honors the Big Ten Conference's top male athlete annually of any sport. He was the seventh football player to win it since its inception in 1982 and the first since Ron Dayne in 2000.[49] Young finished his career at Ohio State with 30.5 sacks in three seasons, which ranks second all-time there behind Mike Vrabel, who had 36 in four.[50] He was also named to the Big Ten Network's 2010s All-Decade Team as the only unanimous selection.[51]

Young in the process of returning a fumble for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers, 2020

Young decided to forgo his senior year at Ohio State by declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft,[53][54] where he was considered by many to be the best overall prospect.[15][55][56] He attended the NFL Combine but did not participate in any workouts or drills, stating that he did not want to waste time being a "combine athlete".[57] Young was one of 58 players invited to the draft, which was held virtually due to social distancing regulations arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.[58] He was selected second overall by the Washington Football Team,[59] known as the Redskins at the time prior to a name change later that offseason. He signed his four-year rookie contract with them, worth US$34.56 million, on July 23, 2020.[60]

Prior to the season, he was considered the favorite to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.[61][62][63] In his debut, Young had 1.5 sacks, four tackles, and a forced fumble in a win against the Philadelphia Eagles.[64] In Week 3, Young suffered a mild groin strain against the Cleveland Browns and missed the following game against the Baltimore Ravens.[65][66] In a Week 14 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Young recorded a sack, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery which he returned 47 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first rookie in NFL history and only the third player since 1999 to achieve all of that in a single game.[67][68] He finished the season with 7.5 sacks, which led all rookies, as well as four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.[69]

By the end of his rookie season, Young had been named a team captain and was voted the NFC defensive player of the month for December, becoming the first rookie in Washington's history to achieve such an honor and their first overall since Kirk Cousins in November 2016.[70][71] He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA),[72][73] and was also the only rookie included on PFWA's all-conference team.[74] In addition, he was one of only two rookies named to the 2021 Pro Bowl, alongside Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.[75][76]

Young's father Greg played college basketball at Bowie State University before working as a deputy sheriff with the Arlington County Sheriff's Office, while his mother Carla works for the Office of Investigations for the Department of Transportation.[8][78][79] He has a sister, Weslie, who played college basketball at North Carolina Wesleyan.[80] Young also played other sports while growing up, such as basketball and sprinting.[81] At DeMatha he played alongside Markelle Fultz in basketball, who was later selected first overall in the 2017 NBA draft.[82][83] At the time, both Young and Fultz set goals to be the first overall draft pick in their respective sports.[83]

At Ohio State, Young pursued a major in criminology after being inspired by his father and several of his uncles and cousins, who have all worked in law enforcement.[78][79][84] At Ohio State, Young was nicknamed "The Predator" for his on-field dominance and how his dreadlocks resembled Predators from the Predator franchise.[85][86]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chase Young.

• Chase Young on Twitter
• Washington Football Team bio
• Ohio State Buckeyes bio