Ohio State Buckeyes Legend Earns Monumental Recognition

The Ohio State Buckeyes have certainly had a lot of great players come through Columbus over the years, and while they are most known for their uncanny ability to churn out elite wide receivers, they have been successful at plenty of other positions, as well.

Notably, Ohio State has done a phenomenal job of developing defensive linemen, particularly in recent years. Heck, the Buckeyes' entire starting front four was selected in the NFL Draft last month.

Of course, the most highly-regarded defensive lineman to emerge from Ohio State in present-day times has been Chase Young, who was chosen by the Washington Commanders with the second overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft after a dominant career with the Buckeyes.

Well, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic gave Young some significant recognition in a recent piece, ranking him 16th among the top 25 college football players since the dawn of the century.

"According to Pro Football Focus, Young produced five of the top nine highest-graded games by a pass rusher in the FBS in 2019, including the top three," Feldman wrote. "He won the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and keyed the nation’s No. 1 defense that allowed fewer than 260 yards per game, and he finished fourth in the Heisman race despite missing two games."

Young racked up 27 sacks over his last two seasons in Columbus, including a marvelous 2019 campaign in which he rattled off 16.5 sacks to go along with 46 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles.

He hasn't been quite as forceful on the professional level. Injuries have hampered the 26-year-old, who is currently playing for his third NFL team since entering the league. However, Young remains a productive player, which is why the New Orleans Saints just handed him a three-year, $51 million contract.