October 30, 2019

OHIO STATE’S YOUNG IS BRONKO NAGURSKI NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) – Chase Young tied Ohio State’s school record for sacks and tackles for loss in the Buckeyes’ dominating 38-7 win over Wisconsin. The linebacker was a terror against Badgers ball carriers with two forced fumbles and added a career-high six solo tackles as Ohio State took charge in the Big Ten championship hunt. For his outstanding performance, Young has earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 26, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Young, a junior from Upper Marlboro, Md., recorded four sacks and five tackles for loss as Ohio State limited Wisconsin’s offense to 191 total yards and only 83 on the ground, holding Jonathan Taylor, one of the nation’s top running backs, to 52 yards on 20 carries. Both of Young’s forced fumbles led to second-half touchdowns.

The four sacks extended the team captain’s national-best total to 13.5 sacks and increased his TFL total to 15.5 for minus-98 yards. The TFL’s, yardage lost and sack yardage (95 yards) also lead the nation. Young is the only Ohio State player besides two-time All-American Mike Vrabel to post at least 10 sacks in two seasons; Vrabel did it in 1994 and ’95.

This is the fifth time for an Ohio State player to earn the Nagurski Player of the Week honor and Young is the first Buckeye since 2010 and the fourth OSU player to be honored. Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, the 2006 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner, was a Player of the Week honoree in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Bobby Carpenter (2005) and Chimdi Chekwa (2010) were other weekly winners from Ohio State.

Each Tuesday during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Wed., Nov. 20. The winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2019 FWAA All-America Team.

The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s entire membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists. The committee members then select the winner as the best defensive player in college football.

The 25^th Annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquet will be held on Monday, December 9th in Charlotte, NC. In addition to the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner’s announcement, UCLA’s Jerry Robinson from the Class of 1978 will receive this year’s Bronko Nagurski Legends Award. The keynote address will be delivered by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The Charlotte Touchdown Club will also be presenting the Defender of the Nation Award to a defensive player from one of the Nation’s nine military academies and institutions sponsored by The Independence Fund.

The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA 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.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 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
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 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 1990, the club has raised more than $2 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.mysites.io). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.mysites.io.

2019 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 31: Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming
• Weekend of Sept. 7: Evan Weaver, Cal
• Weekend of Sept. 14: David Reese II, Florida
• Weekend of Sept. 21: Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State
• Weekend of Sept. 28: Benny Walls, Temple
• Weekend of Oct. 5: Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
• Weekend of Oct. 12: Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina
• Weekend of Oct. 19: Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
• Weekend of Oct. 26: Chase Young, Ohio State

Related link:
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (All-Time Winners, Finalists and Players of the Week)