When the 2018 Ohio State defense took the field for the first time against Oregon State last September, a few things became readily apparent.
The scheme was horrendous. It was a sign of things to come as the Beavers broke big play after big play, chewing up nearly 200 yards on the ground. The linebackers were consistently out of position and the secondary looked lost.
But then there was the defensive line. Anchored by All-American Nick Bosa and one of the country's best interior pass-rushers in Dre'Mont Jones, the unit came into the season with high expectations.
It was easy to see why against Oregon State. Despite the defense's ugly performance overall, a number of plays unfolded as if the defensive line wasn't blocked at all.
Bosa and Jones were a big part of that, but the pressure Chase Young applied on the opposite side seemed unfair. And despite all the flaws of the defense, it looked the line could make enough plays to keep the Buckeyes in playoff contention.
Then Bosa went down against TCU and never returned, and suddenly, Young had to step into a primary pass-rushing role.
The true sophomore was ready for that. On the biggest stage of the early season—in Happy Valley for a primetime showdown against No. 9 Penn State—Young was an absolute monster, tallying six tackles and a pair of sacks. But no play he made was bigger than his fourth quarter, fourth-down stop to seal the Ohio State victory.
Hilarious Penn State play-calling aside, Young made they play Ohio State needed to win the game. Over the course of the 2018 season, he paced the Buckeyes defensive line and finished with 10.5 sacks, which tied for the Big Ten lead. He was named second-team All Big Ten.
Looking ahead to the 2019 season, Young has to take on a new role. Bosa and Jones will be playing on Sundays next year, meaning Young has to take on a veteran leadership role with the unit.
The line is still very deep. There's Jonathon Cooper, Tyreke Smith, and up-and-coming 5-star freshman Zach Harrison on the edges. Robert Landers, Davon Hamilton, Haskell Garrett and Taron Vincent give the Buckeyes a solid rotation in the interior.
But Young's presence makes the group special, and it has the potential to be dominant if he steps into the superstardom he seems destined for.
At 6'5" and 265, Young has a blend of speed and power that's nearly uncontainable coming off the edge. And while he was happy with his results from a season ago, he wants to continue his upward trajectory.
"I worked my butt off in the offseason and it paid off," Young said, via Dave Biddle of Bucknuts. "I wanted to be a guy that could go out there and consistently beat one-on-ones and disrupt what the offense was trying to do, even if I didn't get a sack or whatever. And I feel I was able to do that for most of the year.
"Now, I need to build on that going into next year. Be a guy who not only beats one-on-ones, but can beat double teams or whatever they throw at me."
If Young is able to do that, Ohio State's defense would take a big leap forward in 2019.
