Ohio State Football: 3 reasons Chase Young should win 2019 Heisman Trophy

Ohio State football’s Chase Young is going to New York as a Heisman finalist. Should he win? Here are three reasons why he should.

No matter what happens at the Heisman Trophy Awards presentation, Chase Young has already made history. He’s only the seventh defensive finalist in Heisman history.

Larry Kelley and Leon Hart are listed as tight ends, but they were one-platoon players and played defensive end. Defensive back Charles Woodson wasn’t a full-time two-way player, but saw some time at receiver and returned kicks and punts.

In addition to being the seventh defensive finalist, he’s only the fourth defense only finalist in the awards long and prestigious history. Young joins Warren Sapp, Steve Entman and Ndamukong Suh as the only full-time defensive players to win the award.

There is a long-held — and outdated — idea that defensive players can’t win the Heisman Trophy because of their perceived lack of down by down influence on the game. Simply put, they don’t throw the ball, run the ball or catch the ball so they can’t influence the outcome of a game the way a quarterback, running back or wide receiver can.

Put on some tape of Young if you hold that notion. Watching him play might change your mind.

So, he’s in New York with fellow finalists Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and teammate Justin Fields. Will he win? Probably not. Prognosticators have all but given the Heisman to Burrow. However, here are three reasons why he should.