Ohio State Football: Buckeyes dominate Big Ten Defensive POY

The Big Ten announced that Ohio State football defensive end Chase Young is this year’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year.

The Ohio State football team’s defensive end Chase Young earned the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year award in the Big Ten this season behind his 16.5 sacks and 38 total tackles in only 10 games. This award should really just go to the best Ohio State defensive player.

Yes, Young is the first Buckeye to win the award since 2014 when Joey Bosa won it, but Ohio State defenders have dominated the award for the past two decades.

In the last 20 seasons, an Ohio State player has been the conference’s defensive player of the year seven times. Behind them, a Michigan player has won it four times, a Penn State player and a Wisconsin player have won it three times, and an Iowa player, a Purdue player, and a Michigan State player have won it once.

In addition to Young and Bosa, John Simon won it in 2012, James Laurinaitis won it in 2008 and 2007, A.J. Hawk won it in 2005, and Will Smith won it in 2003.

In 2014 Bosa racked up 13.5 sacks and 55 total tackles, Simon had nine sacks and 44 total tackles in 2012, Laurinaitis had 130 total tackles in 2008 and 121 in 2007, A.J. Hawk had 121 total tackles and 9.5 sacks in 2005, and Will Smith had 10.5 sacks in 2003 and 20 tackles for loss. Smith’s stats are according to Land-Grant Holy Land.

Sure there have been some non-Buckeyes to have really good years. Iowa’s Josey Jewell had 132 total tackles in 2017 and Penn State’s Carl Nassib had 15.5 sacks in 2015, but Ohio State has just consistently produced great defensive players more than any other team in the conference.

Just give the award to Buckeyes each year. You might as well.

Congrats to Young on winning this award, as well as the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year award. Now let’s go win a Big Ten Championship and a National Championship.