Chase Young

Young decided to forgo his senior year at Ohio State by declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, where he was considered by many to be the best overall prospect in it. 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". 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, where he was selected by the Washington Redskins with the second overall pick.

Young was named one of the team captains as a junior in 2019. That year, he tied Ohio State school records for single-game sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5) in a win against Wisconsin. 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. Young recorded three sacks against Penn State in his first game after returning. 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. His 16.5 sacks broke the single-season school record previously held by Vernon Gholston, who had 14 in 2007.

Young's father, Greg, played college basketball at Bowie State University before working as a police deputy with the Arlington County Sheriff's Office, while his mother, Carla, works for the Office of Investigations for the Department of Transportation. Young has a sister, Weslie, who played college basketball at North Carolina Wesleyan. At Ohio State, Young pursued a major in criminology after being inspired by his father and several of his uncles and cousins, who all work in law enforcement. He has a tattoo of Carl H. Robinson, his late grandfather and US Air Force veteran, on his right arm. Young is nicknamed the "Predator" for his on-field dominance, as well as his dreadlocks resembling Predators from the Predator franchise. Young also played other sports while at DeMatha, such as basketball and sprint running. In basketball, he played alongside Markelle Fultz, who was later selected first overall in the 2017 NBA draft.

Young received scholarship offers from over 40 colleges before committing to Ohio State University in July 2016, choosing them over other schools such as Alabama and Maryland due to Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who personally recruited him and whom Young considered a "guru", as well as the school's overall approach that he felt was more "family-oriented". As a freshman in 2017, Young recorded 3.5 sacks, 18 tackles, and a forced fumble as a reserve player. Young took over as a starter for his sophomore season, lining up alongside Nick Bosa until his season-ending injury early on. Young recorded 10.5 sacks on the year despite spraining both ankles midway through, including three against Northwestern at the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game. He was named to that season's second-team All-Big Ten team for his performance.

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. In July 2016, he was invited to The Opening, a college football recruiting camp sponsored by Nike, where he was named positional MVP. As a senior in 2016, he had 19 sacks, 118 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 defensive touchdowns that helped the team go undefeated and win another WCAC championship. By then, he was recognized one of the best high school football players in the nation, where he was included on the 2016 USA Today All-USA high school football team and named all-metropolitan defensive football player of the year by the Washington Post. He was also invited to the International Bowl and All-American Bowl, playing on the East team for the latter.

Young won several awards and honors for his performance that season, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award, Chicago Tribune Silver Football, Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, and Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year. In addition, he was twice named the Walter Camp defensive player of the week for his performances against Wisconsin and Penn State, and was unanimously named to the 2019 All-Big Ten and All-America teams. He was also named a finalist for the Walter Camp Award, Maxwell Award, 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. He finished his career at Ohio State with 30.5 total sacks, which ranks second all-time there behind Mike Vrabel's 36.

Chase Young (born April 14, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State University, playing for the Buckeyes from 2017 to 2019. In his final season there, he broke the school's single-season sack record with 16.5, which won him several honors such as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, and Ted Hendricks Award. He was also named an unanimous All-American, as well as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, a feat considered rare for a defensive player. He was selected by the Redskins with the second pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Chase Young was born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on April 14, 1999. He began playing American football as a child, later attending St. Columba School in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Following that, he attended St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland in 2013, where he started at quarterback and outside linebacker as a freshman before switching to defensive end later that year. As a sophomore the following year, he and the team won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C-conference championship. He was also a member of the school's choir, playing the piano, saxophone, and violin.