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Ohio State then-junior defensive end Chase Young (2) looks to the crowd before running onto the field before the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson Dec. 28. Ohio State lost 29-23. Credit: Cori Wade | Photo Editor

Former Ohio State defensive end Chase Young was named the 2019-20 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Thursday. 

Young is the first Ohio State athlete to claim the award since wrestler Kyle Snyder won it for a second consecutive year in 2018. The Maryland native also became the seventh football player and first since Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne in 2000 to earn the honor. 

Young will be taking his talents to the NFL this upcoming season as he was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. 

The former Buckeye had a stellar 2019 campaign that saw him break Ohio State’s single-season sack record with 16.5 sacks. He also racked up the fourth-most tackles for loss in a season in Buckeye history with 21.5. 

The Heisman finalist was a 2019 captain for one of the top-ranked teams in the country, and he earned several major awards, including the Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Young was named a unanimous All-American in 2019.