Chase Young

BIOGRAPHY

Chase Young was born April 14, 1999, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He is a defensive end in the NFL. 

He began playing American football as a child, later attending St. Columba School in Oxon Hill, Maryland. He then went to St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, in 2013. He started at quarterback and outside linebacker as a freshman before switching to defensive end later that year. As a sophomore the following year, he and the team won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C-conference championship. He was also a member of the school's choir, playing the piano, saxophone, and violin.

In 2015, he transferred to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he had 19 sacks and 27 tackles for loss as a junior, helping the team win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship. In July 2016, he was invited to The Opening, a college football recruiting camp sponsored by Nike, where he was named positional MVP. As a senior in 2016, he had 19 sacks, 118 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns that helped the team go undefeated and win another WCAC championship. After his senior year, he was known as one of the best high school football players in the nation. He was included on the 2016 USA Today All-USA high school football team and named all-metropolitan defensive player of the year by the Washington Post. He was also invited to the International Bowl and All-American Bowl, where he played on the East team.

He was selected second overall by the Washington Football Team. He signed his four-year rookie contract with them, worth US$34.56 million, on July 23, 2020.

Young was recruited very heavily and received over 40 scholarships before committing to Ohio State University in July 2016. As a freshman in 2017, Young recorded 3.5 sacks, 18 tackles, and a forced fumble as a reserve player. Young was promoted to starter for his sophomore season, where he recorded 10.5 sacks on the year despite spraining both ankles midway through the season, including three sacks against Northwestern at the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game. He was named to that season's second-team All-Big Ten team for his performance.

He was named one of the team captains in his junior year in 2019. His junior year was his most significant year for his potential as a draft prospect. He tied Ohio State school records for single-game sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5) in a win against Wisconsin. In November 2019, Young was suspended for two games by the NCAA for getting an unauthorized loan from a family friend, which he later repaid in full. He recorded three sacks against Penn State in his first game after returning. He ended the season with 16.5 sacks, 46 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, 3 batted passes, and a blocked field goal. His 16.5 sacks broke the single-season school record previously held by Vernon Gholston, who had 14 in 2007. Young was drafted as the #2 pick in this year's 2020 NFL draft to the Washington Redskins.

In his debut, Young had 1.5 sacks, four tackles, and a forced fumble in a win against the Philadelphia Eagles. He suffered a mild groin strain against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and missed the following game against the Baltimore Ravens. In a Week 14 game against the San Francisco 49ers, he recorded a sack, two passes defended a forced fumble and a fumble recovery which he returned 47 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first rookie in NFL history and only the third player since 1999 to achieve all of that in a single game. Young finished the season with 7.5 sacks, which led all rookies, as well as four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

By the end of his rookie season, Young had been named a team captain and was voted the NFC defensive player of the month for December, becoming the first rookie in Washington's history to achieve such an honor and their first overall since Kirk Cousins in November 2016. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America. He also was selected to compete in the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.

Young was traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2023 season.

Yound signed a one year deal with the New Orleans Saints for the 2024 season.