THE YOUNG FILE
Second-team All-Big Ten, 2018
First-team All-Big Ten, 2019
Unanimous All-American, 2019
Ted Hendricks Award, 2019
Chuck Bednarik Award, 2019
Bronko Nagurski Trophy, 2019
Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, 2020
PFWA All-Rookie Team, 2020
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2020
By Lenn Robbins
It has all come so easy for Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young. At legendary DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland he led his team to an undefeated state football championship and played on the basketball team alongside former NBA No.1 pick Markelle Fultz.
At Ohio State he was a unanimous All-American. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year after being the No.2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But midway through last season Young blew out his ACL.
Young opted not to participate in the team’s voluntary OTA’s. He started slow and then came the injury. There were questions regarding Young’s maturity, if not commitment, Commanders coach Ron Rivera sees a silver lining.
"I think for Chase, it was a little bit of an awakening, a little bit of a realization," Rivera told reporters.
Young is not expected back for the start of the season. He’s said on a few occasions that he’s making great progress. How Young responds to his injury might set the tone for the rest of his career. His return will be one of the more intriguing storylines of the season.