Just four days after being voted No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in history, Ohio State got some very bad – and potentially season-changing – news.
The school just announced that junior defensive end Chase Young will miss the Maryland game, and possibly longer.
“Ohio State’s Chase Young will not play in this Saturday’s game between the Buckeyes and the Maryland Terrapins due to a possible NCAA issue from 2018 that the Department of Athletics is looking into,” reads the official statement from OSU.
Late Friday morning, Young released a statement on his Twitter account. It read:
“Unfortunately, I won’t be playing this week due to an NCAA eligibility issue. I made a mistake last year by accepting a loan from a family friend I’ve known since the summer before my freshman year at OSU. I repaid it in full last summer and I’m working with the University and NCAA to get back on the field as soon as possible. I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches, and the whole Ohio State community for all the love and support. God bless and go Bucks!”
Young was not made available to the media during interviews this week, which is somewhat unusual for a star player during the week of a game against his home state school.
He has been at the center of this year’s revitalized Buckeye defense.
He tied a school record with four sacks the last time he stepped on the field against Wisconsin. He has 13.5 sacks already this season, just a half-sack shy of tying the OSU single-season record.
Young has been widely discussed as a potential Heisman candidate, and likely top-5 pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
It’s not yet clear how long a potential suspension could last. The Buckeyes will still be massive favorites the next two weeks against Maryland and Rutgers, but any suspension lasting longer than that could be a season-changer.
The Buckeyes finish the regular season at home against Penn State and at Michigan, then would have a potential Big Ten Championship Game and bowl or College Football Playoff game ahead.
— CY2 (@youngchase907) November 8, 2019