Ohio State Football: How does Larry Johnson replace Chase Young?
The Ohio State football team lost its best pass rusher in defensive end Chase Young. How do the Buckeyes replace such a special talent?
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has had a dynamic pass rusher every season that he has been a part of the Ohio State football program. Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young all were top five NFL Draft picks and stepped right in when the other left school.
With no clear-cut guy as the next big thing at defensive end, how does Ohio State effectively replace Chase Young? The answer has to be collectively.
The Buckeyes have some very deep talent at defensive end and they also have some veteran leadership. Jonathon Cooper will be counted on for not only his play on the field but for also how well he leads this unit of young and talented players.
Zach Harrison has all the potential in the world to be the next Bosa or Young but he is still very inexperienced as a second year player in the program. I would not be shocked to see him get 10 sacks with all his given ability but don’t expect him to put the constant pressure on quarterbacks and offensive line’s that Chase Young did a season ago.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste is another young and super talented player but we have yet to see it happen on the field for him. The former four-star prospect from Oradell, New Jersey still needs to bulk up a bit to see consistent game action.
Tyreke Smith also has a ton of talent and was seen at one point as the heir to Chase Young but injuries have side tracked that path. If Smith can stay healthy and win a starting job in camp, he too has a chance at double-digit sacks.
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Finally, Tyler Friday, who was seeing a lot of playing time down the stretch last season has a chance to become a solid rotational player at defensive end for Ohio State. Friday had two sacks a season ago and is pretty stout against the run.
While we may see one of these players, most likely Harrison or Smith, get to double-digit sacks, it’s almost a certainty that they wouldn’t have the same impact on games that Chase Young had during the 2019 campaign. It is impossible for anyone to have that kind of production.
Next. 2017 recruiting class as good as advertised. dark
Larry Johnson is going to need to coach this group up to get the most out of them for next season. But with one of the best defensive line coaches in the country at the helm of this unit, don’t be surprised to see them flourish. Just not in the same way that we are used to seeing at Ohio State.