Chase Young’s reunion with Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa will be ‘real fun’: ‘Just a race to the quarterback’

Chase Young’s trade to the San Francisco 49ers means he is reunited with former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa. Young was traded from the team who drafted him No. 2 overall in 2020, the Washington Commanders, to the 49ers ahead of the deadline. 

Young said one reason he was not mad about the trade was because it meant he would get to play with Bosa again, something he did not think would ever happen. 

“Even in college, we never thought that we would ever be able to play with each other again,” Young said, via ESPN.

The two played together in 2017 and 2018 and are already looking forward to competing against each other within the defense.

“I think it’s going to be just like in college, just a race to the quarterback kind of. It’s going to be real fun, that’s all I know,” Young said.

Young said five minutes after the trade took place, he got a call from Bosa, who he says is like a “big brother” to him.

In the two years they played together at OSU, Young had 14 sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss. Bosa had 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss in 2017 and sat out most of the 2018 season, where he had four sacks in three games. 

Young said the feeling on his new team reminds him of his college days.

“It’s kind of that same thing at Ohio State where it’s like you’re expected to win, and it’s just like that vibe of, ‘We’re going to win.’ … I’m just excited to be blessed with the opportunity to be with this franchise,” he said. 

Bosa currently has 41 quarterback pressures, which is tied for sixth in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. Young has 40 pressures entering Week 10, but has one less game under his belt, after missing the opening weekend due to an injury. The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year also has five sacks, 15 combined tackles and nine quarterback hits in his seven games with Washington this year. 

The Niners started the season 5-0 and are currently on a three-game losing streak. They are still a top team in the league and are still very much in the conversation for Super Bowl favorites.

Signing Bosa to a deal that made him the highest defensive player in the league, as well as giving Javon Hargrave a new deal, showed their commitment in creating a solid defense this season and beyond.

Right now, Young’s future with the Niners is not certain, but it is not something he is concerned about at the moment. 

“I’m not even worried about that right now,” Young said, while discussing his contract. “I’m just worried about learning this playbook and just being the best player that I can be.”

Washington did not pick up Young’s fifth-year option ahead of the 2023 season began, so he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.