COLUMBUS, Ohio - To the surprise of few, Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young announced on Friday afternoon that he will be taking his talents to the next level and entering his name for selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Recruited by Larry Johnson as a five-star defensive end out of Hyattsville, Md., Young was a key member of Ohio State's incredible 2017 class which ranked No. 2 in the country.

Despite being buried behind the likes of Sam Hubbard, Jayln Holmes, Tyquan Lewis and Nick Bosa, Young still found playing time in nine games during his freshman season. His first sack came against Maryland and he would finish the season with 3.5 sacks and 18 tackles.

In his sophomore season, Young saw increased playing time after Nick Bosa was lost for the season in just the third game of the year against TCU. Stepping into a starting role alongside Jonathan Cooper, Young exploded for 10.5 sacks and 33 tackles, 14.5 of which were for a loss including the game-ending tackle against Penn State in Happy Valley to clinch a victory for Ohio State.

Heading into his junior year, Young was poised for an even bigger year as the full-time starter and leader on the defense for the Buckeyes, and he delivered for Ohio State.

Young began 2019 in an explosive manner with seven sacks through Ohio State's first four games. He notched at least half a sack in each of the Buckeyes' first eight games to bring his total to 13.5 sacks, just half a sack shy of Vernon Gholston's previously held single-season record of 14 sacks, as the Buckeyes went into their second off week of the season.

Disaster struck for Young just days before they returned against Maryland when it was announced he would be suspended for at least one game while the NCAA investigated a loan taken by Young that he later repaid. After an NCAA investigation concluded just days later that he did violate NCAA rules, Young would be suspended for just one more game against Rutgers.

The junior returned to the field against Penn State with a vengeance with three sacks, four tackles for loss and a career-high nine tackles to break the Ohio State single-season sacks record. While unknown at the time, that would unfortunately be the last time Young would get to the quarterback in his college career.

Even with the two-game suspension, Young did have representation on the Heisman stage in New York along with teammate Justin Fields. He finished fourth in voting behind the other three candidates with 20 first-place votes.

Even with the awards and accolades showered upon Young in the final weeks of the season, he struggled on the field, not registering a sack in any of Ohio State's final three games against Michigan, Wisconsin and Clemson and was held off of the stats sheet completely against the Wolverines.

Finishing with 16.5 sacks his junior year, the most in a single season for Ohio State, and with 30.5 career sacks, second most behind Mike Vrabel's 36 sacks, Young will go down as one of the greatest defensive players in Ohio State history.

Now, Young will try to continue the tradition of Ohio State defensive linemen in the NFL as the expected first defensive pick off the board in the NFL Draft.