CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FWAA) – Ohio State defensive end Chase Young was named the recipient of the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Monday night before a sold-out banquet crowd of 1,200 people at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Young, a team captain and a 6-5, 265-pound junior from Upper Marlboro, Md., accepted the award given to the best defensive player in college football by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. He becomes Ohio State's second winner, joining linebacker James Laurinaitis in 2006. Laurinaitis was a finalist again in '07 and Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer was also a finalist in 1997.

The nation's sack leader (16.5, 1.5 per game) also leads in sack yardage (117 yards) at the helm of a defense that finished the regular season as the country's top unit, giving up just 232.2 yards per game. The 16.5 sacks is the Ohio State record for a single season and the most by a Big Ten player in 21 seasons.

"I think he embodies everything on and off the field what this award embraces," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. "In college football, not many people dominated play the way Chase has played this year." Day was the keynote speaker at the banquet.

Young has produced one of the most dominant individual defensive seasons. He is second in the nation with 21.0 tackles for loss, and his 129 yards lost on those plays are also second. The Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year is tied for fourth with 1.91 TFL's per game, having added another 1.5 to his total in Saturday's 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

His combined 246 yards lost on his sacks and TFL's are more than any other player in the nation. He has forced six fumbles that are second in the nation, only one off the national leader. He has made 43 total tackles, has four quarterback hurries and one blocked kick.

Young was the Bronko Nagurski Trophy's National Player of the Week for the weekend of Oct. 26 following the best game of his season when he tied career highs with four sacks and five tackles for loss in Ohio State's 38-7 win over Wisconsin. He also two forced fumbles in the game.

Young has 30.5 career sacks and needs 5.5 more to tie Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel for the school record as the Buckeyes head into the College Football Playoff and a Dec. 28 semifinal matchup against Clemson in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Paced by Young, Ohio State is three sacks away from its single-season team record of 52 set in 2000. Young and Vrabel are the only Ohio State players in program history to have 10 or more sacks in multiple seasons.

Young

The FWAA All-America Committee made Young the selection as this year's Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner. Young was selected from a list of finalists that included Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, Georgia defensive back J.R. Reed, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons and Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr, all of whom were in hand in Charlotte tonight.

In addition to the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner's announcement, the banquet, presented by LendingTree, celebrated UCLA's Jerry Robinson as the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award.

The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA joined with the CTC and named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 24 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

The Football Writers Association of America, founded in 1941, consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB AND ITS SPONSORS
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1991, the club has raised more than $2,000,000 to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.

LendingTree, Inc.
LendingTree is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards, insurance and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers' credit accounts against offers on our network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. In short, LendingTree's purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life's meaningful moments through choice, education and support.

Related link:
• All-time Bronko Nagurski Trophy winners and finalists