We’re still gearing up for the season and you are most likely stuck between queueing up last year’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah on the DVR for the umpteenth time, reading rankings and listicles that include Ohio State, and yearning for the start of the college football season.
Sounds like a perfect time to continue the series we’ve embarked upon here at Buckeyes Wire. We call it the “Face of the Position,” and it’s really exactly as it sounds. When you think of a position group at Ohio State, who do you think of? From quarterback to linebacker, to placekicker and beyond, OSU has some of the most iconic and historical college football players that have taken their place among the best in the game.
However, one player stands out above all else when you shroud them behind the colors of scarlet and gray, and that’s where we are going to ask for your assistance.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting players that are in the running for the face of a position at Ohio State and asking for your vote in a Twitter poll to have one player identified as the one you think immediately at that position.
We’ve already looked at the quarterback position, running backs, wide receivers, offensive linemen, tight ends, and defensive tackles. It’s now time to move to the defensive side of the ball and start with an underrated defensive tackle position.
We’ll keep voting up for five days, and at the end of it, we’ll reveal the winner of each. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to cast your vote from the nominees in a Twitter poll and feel free to write in a candidate if you think of another player.
Mike Vrabel (1993 to 1996)
The Argument
Vrabel’s 36 sacks and 66 tackles for loss still rank as tops all-time at Ohio State. He was a high-motor guy that came off the edge and simply outworked the man in front of him. He was part of a book-end tandem with Matt Finkes on the other side that provided immense pressure to opposing backfields during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Vrabel was named All Big-Ten from 1994-1996, named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the year in both 1995 and 1996, and was a consensus first-team All-American as well in 1996.
He went on to have a distinguished NFL career with the New England Patriots and has gone on to be an outstanding coach with the Tennessee Titans.
Joey Bosa (2013 to 2015)
The Argument
Joey Bosa had an immediate impact when he arrived on campus. He was so dominant and physically gifted as a freshman that he was almost immediately inserted as a starter on the line.
He didn’t disappoint.
Through his three-year career at OSU, Bosa tallied 148 total tackles, with 26 sacks included in a total of 50.5 tackles for loss.
He was named a freshman All-American, two-time Big Ten Lineman of the Year, once a Big Ten Defender of the Year, and a two-time consensus All-American.
Nick Bosa (2016 to 2018)
The Argument
Truth be known, Nick Bosa’s Ohio State career could have been much, much better if not for injuries. He got his feet wet his freshman season but wasn’t at full strength because of recovering from an injury sustained during his last year of high school.
He began to be a bit part of things his sophomore and showed plenty of explosiveness and tenacity to be a force to gameplan against. He was poised to have a fantastic junior campaign before suffering a core muscle injury that took him out of action after just the third game of the season.
Bosa made All Big-Ten first team in 2017 and won the league’s Defensive Lineman of the Year. His stats don’t measure up quite with big brother Joey, but when you put the game film on, there are not many more out there that can measure up. And now, he’s a game-wrecker with the San Francisco 49ers.
Chase Young (2017 to 2019)
The Argument
Young was always a menace off the edge, but his junior year was one for the ages, and the single most productive year any defensive end in Ohio State history has put together. It was so good, Young went to New York as a Heisman finalist, ultimately finishing fourth in the voting.
The list of awards is extensive. In 2019 alone, Young was a unanimous All-American, Heisman Trophy finalist, Bednarik Award winner, Bronko Nagurski Trophy recipient, took home the Ted Hendricks Award, was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, all-Big Ten Conference.
He was the most dominant defensive player in college football and is now working on putting together his career with the Washington Commanders.
NEXT … Vote below for the Ohio State “Face of the Defensive End Position.”
Twitter Poll for 'Face of the Defensive End' position at Ohio State
When you think of the defensive end position at Ohio State historically, what player is the first that comes to mind? Is it @youngchase907, @nbsmallerbear, @jbbigbear, @CoachVrabel50, or vote with another write-in candidate? #FaceOfThePosition #GoBucks Vote!
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) August 13, 2022
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