Chase Young Bio
Chase Young is an American professional football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a unanimous All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019 after breaking the school’s single-season sack record with 16.5. Selected second overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl selection during his debut season with the Washington Commanders.
Standing 196 centimeters tall and listed at 120 kilograms, Young has built his reputation on speed, power, and finishing ability at the line of scrimmage. After battling significant knee injuries and a mid-career trade to the San Francisco 49ers, he revived his career with the Saints and signed a three-year contract extension in March 2025.
Early Life and Background
Chase Young was born on April 14, 1999, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He began playing American football as a child, attending St. Columba School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, before transferring to St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, in 2013. As a freshman there, he played as a quarterback, tight end, and outside linebacker before switching primarily to defensive end later that year. Young and the team won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C-conference championship in 2014, and he was also a member of the school’s choir, playing the piano, saxophone, and violin.
In 2015, Young transferred to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he recorded 19 quarterback sacks and 27 tackles for loss that season to help the team win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship. He was invited to The Opening in July 2016, a college football recruiting camp sponsored by Nike, where he was named MVP at his position. As a senior in 2016, he produced 19 sacks, 118 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns that helped the team go undefeated and win another WCAC championship.
By his final high school season, he was recognized as one of the best high school football players in the nation when he was included on the 2016 USA Today All-USA team and named all-metropolitan defensive football player of the year by The Washington Post. Young was also invited to the International Bowl and All-American Bowl, playing on the East team for the latter. He also played for DeMatha’s basketball team alongside Markelle Fultz, who was later selected first overall in the 2017 NBA draft.
Path to American Football
Young received scholarship offers from over 40 universities before committing to Ohio State in July 2016 to play for the Buckeyes, choosing them over schools such as Alabama and Maryland due to their family-oriented approach and his desire to play under defensive line coach Larry Johnson. He recorded 3.5 sacks, 18 tackles, and a forced fumble as a freshman in 2017, then became a full-time starter during his sophomore campaign. In 2018 he posted 10.5 sacks despite spraining both ankles halfway through the season, and three of those sacks came against Northwestern in the Big Ten Football Championship Game, earning him second-team All-Big Ten recognition.
Named one of the team captains as a junior in 2019, Young tied Ohio State school records for single-game sacks (four) and tackles for loss (five) in a win against Wisconsin. He was suspended for two games by the NCAA in November 2019 for receiving an unauthorized loan from a family friend to help his girlfriend attend the Rose Bowl, which he later repaid in full. In his first game back, he recorded three sacks against Penn State and finished the season with 16.5 sacks, 46 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and seven forced fumbles, leading the NCAA in sacks and breaking the single-season school record previously held by Vernon Gholston.
Chase Young Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
Young’s college career began modestly as a rotational defender in 2017 before he blossomed into a full-time starter the following year. Even while managing ankle injuries in 2018, he delivered double-digit sacks and showed the speed and power that made him a future NFL prospect. He capped his Ohio State run with a 16.5-sack junior season that earned him the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive player.
He was also a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing fourth in voting behind quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Fields, and became only the ninth defensive player since 1982 to be nominated for the award. He finished his Buckeyes career with 30.5 sacks in three seasons, the second-best total in program history behind Mike Vrabel.
Washington Commanders Breakthrough (2020–2022)
Young decided to forgo his senior year at Ohio State by declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, where he was widely viewed as the best overall prospect in his class. He attended the NFL Combine but did not participate in any workouts or drills, stating that he did not want to waste time being a combine athlete. He was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders and signed his four-year rookie contract worth $34.56 million on July 23, 2020.
In his debut he produced 1.5 sacks, four tackles, and a forced fumble in a win against the Philadelphia Eagles, and a Week 14 performance against the San Francisco 49ers saw him record a sack, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery returned 47 yards for a touchdown. That effort made him the first rookie in NFL history and only the third player since 1999 to achieve all of those feats in a single game. He finished with 7.5 sacks, which led all rookies, and was named the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America Defensive Rookie of the Year while also earning a Pro Bowl nod.
His follow-up season in 2021 ended in Week 10 when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and patellar tendon in his right knee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, limiting him to 1.5 sacks. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp in 2022 and returned to the active roster on November 21, 2022, but sat out three more games before making his comeback against the 49ers in Week 16. The team declined his fifth-year rookie option prior to the 2023 season.
San Francisco 49ers Era (2023)
On November 1, 2023, Young was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft that Washington later used to select Luke McCaffrey. He recorded 2.5 sacks with the 49ers down the stretch, finishing the season with 7.5 total sacks. In Super Bowl LVIII, he produced one sack in a 25–22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, adding valuable postseason experience to his resume.
New Orleans Saints Era (2024–Present)
On March 18, 2024, Young signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, and the following day it was announced that he would undergo neck surgery likely causing him to miss part of training camp. He was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list on July 18 but returned to play in all 17 regular-season games, recording a season-high 2.0 sacks in Week 15 against his former Washington team in a narrow 20–19 loss. He finished 2024 with 31 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.
On March 10, 2025, the Saints re-signed Young to a three-year contract worth $51 million, signaling a long-term commitment to his pass-rushing role. After being injured in practice ahead of Week 1 of the 2025 season, he was sidelined with a calf injury for the first three games before continuing his recovery.
Driving Style and Strengths
Young is regarded as an explosive edge rusher who pairs first-step quickness with strong hand usage and finishing instincts at the quarterback. He excels as a speed-to-power rusher on passing downs and has shown the leverage and length to set the edge in run defense. His pass-rush arsenal, paired with refined technique from his development under Larry Johnson at Ohio State, has allowed him to produce consistent pressure even while navigating injuries.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Young’s 2019 NCAA-leading 16.5 sacks broke the Ohio State single-season record and earned him unanimous All-American status as well as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award. His 2020 rookie campaign produced the first-ever game by an NFL rookie with a sack, two passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, and he was the only rookie selected to the PFWA all-conference team. He added a Super Bowl LVIII sack with the 49ers and later served as the honorary pace car driver for the 2022 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond.
Chase Young Career Wins
Across his NFL career, Chase Young has accumulated 7.5 sacks as a rookie with Washington, 1.5 sacks in his injury-shortened 2021 campaign, 7.5 sacks across Washington and San Francisco in 2023, and 5.5 sacks during his first season with the Saints in 2024.
Commanders Highlights
Young opened his NFL career with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries as a Commanders rookie, earning the team’s captaincy and the NFC Defensive Player of the Month award for December 2020. He added 1.5 sacks in 2021 before his season-ending knee injury.
Other Wins & Performances
With the 49ers he recorded 2.5 regular-season sacks and one sack in Super Bowl LVIII, and with the Saints he produced 5.5 sacks and a season-high 2.0 sacks in a single game in 2024. He was also named to the 2010s Big Ten Network All-Decade Team as the only unanimous selection.
Chase Young Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Young’s father Greg played college basketball at Bowie State University before working as a deputy sheriff with the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. His mother Carla works for the Office of Investigations for the United States Department of Transportation. He has a sister, Weslie, who played college basketball at North Carolina Wesleyan.
Personal Life
Young pursued a major in criminology at Ohio State after being inspired by his father and several of his uncles and cousins, who have all worked in law enforcement. He was nicknamed the Predator during his time with the Buckeyes for his on-field performance and the way his dreadlocks resembled the creatures from the Predator franchise. He is represented by Klutch Sports Group and serves as the football ambassador for Klutch Athletics.
2025 Season Performance
Young enters the 2025 campaign as a key piece of the New Orleans Saints defensive front after re-signing a three-year, $51 million contract in March. His 5.5 sacks in 2024 suggested a return to form, and the franchise’s investment signals confidence in his continued growth. The Saints will look to him to anchor their edge pressure and provide veteran leadership to a developing defensive line.
A calf injury sustained during practice ahead of Week 1 sidelined him for the first three games of the season, creating an early test of the team’s depth. As he works back to full strength, his snap count and rotational role will be carefully managed, but his track record of high-impact performances points toward a meaningful second half of the year.
With multi-year stability and a clear role in Dennis Allen’s defense, Young has a realistic path to double-digit sacks if he stays healthy. His continued development alongside the Saints’ young pass rushers will be a defining storyline for the New Orleans defensive outlook in 2025.