Just two weeks ago Chase Young was a top-three candidate for the Heisman trophy. He was looking to join the top-tier candidates, Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, with an easy outing against Maryland.
Now, after sitting one game, he’s barely in the top five, and it seems that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is pulling away from the pack.
Young was held out of the team’s 69-point victory over Maryland. His status for what should be another massive Buckeyes victory against Rutgers this Saturday is unknown.
While the official penalty for accepting a small loan from a family friend which was repaid is still in the air, if he continues to miss games, he can kiss any shot at the Heisman trophy goodbye.
A four-sack performance against Wisconsin in another dominant effort from the Buckeyes just over two weeks ago bounced the projected top-five pick over the likes of Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields.
However, according to ESPN’s Heisman Watch, Young has slid under fellow teammate Justin Fields. Young sits at No. 5 and received just 12 votes with zero first-place votes. He had 24 votes in the week following the Wisconsin game.
Young has 13.5 sacks on the season and could’ve easily set the single-season Ohio State record this past weekend. The record is currently 14.0 which was set by Vernon Gholston in 2007.
The Ohio State defensive didn’t skip a beat without Young on the line. They gave up just two touchdowns all game and none in the first a half, a 30-minute period where they totaled 42 points.
As for Young, it’s likely he’s out again Saturday, but there seems to be hope that he’ll take on Penn State and Michigan to finish the regular season. That said, if he does miss these two games which could’ve easily solidified his claim as a competitor for the Heisman, his chances are virtually over.
Young would’ve been just the second defender to have won the award and the first since Charles Woodson did it in 1997. For now, that’s looking extremely unlikely, although we haven’t seen a collegiate defender as dominant as Young in decades.