Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young was named one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is presented to the nation’s top defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
Young leads the FBS with 1.69 quarterback sacks per game and was named Nagurski national player of the week after his program record-tying performance against Wiscosin, where he posted four sacks and five tackles for loss.
Despite serving a two-game suspension, Young ranks second in the country in TFL with 15.5.
The Ohio State defense, led by Young, a team co-captain, boasts the nation’s No. 1 defense in total defense (216.4 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (9.8 points per game)
The Buckeyes are also No. 1 against the pass, largely due to Young’s disruption, only allowing 126.0 aerial yards per contest.
The other finalists are Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, Georgia safety J.R. Reed, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons and Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr., who is the son of the former Buckeye standout of the same name.
Ohio State has had four winners of the award, including Andy Katzenmoyer (1997) and James Laurinaitis (2006, 2007).
The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy banquet will be held on Dec. 9 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center, with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day serving as the keynote speaker.
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