There’s big things expected from Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young this year. At 6-5, 265, Young is a man-child with a rare blend of explosiveness and strength coming off the edge. He’s now set to begin his 3rd year in the program after coming to Ohio State as a five-star prospect in the class of 2017.

He was already expected to make a big impact last year, but was leaned on more heavily once Nick Bosa went down on the other edge with a season-ending injury three games into the 2018 campaign against TCU.

Young didn’t disappoint. Truth be known, his stats might have looked more impressive had teams needed to accounts for Bosa, but it was still an impressive showing — leading the Buckeyes in both sacks (10), and tackles for loss (15.5) last year.

Many publications expect even bigger things from him in 2019. NFL Draft boards already have him in the top ten in a lot of cases, he’s been selected as a preseason Big Ten Honoree, and now this.

According to a fan vote on CFB on FOX, Young is expected to be the defensive player of the year in college football. Not the Big Ten, not just honorable mention, but the best of all defensive players in FBS.

#OhioState’s DE Chase Young is THE preseason Defensive Player of the Year, as voted on by the CFB on FOX fans! The #Buckeyes DE received 43% of the vote. pic.twitter.com/JsM2uOIU31 — Buckeye Fans Only (@buckeyefansonly) August 12, 2019

Auburn cornerback Bryce Hall came in second place, but Young got a whopping 43% of the vote to take home the mythical honor.

Now, it’s one thing to get some love from Big Ten country, or from analysts that know the Ohio State program, but to lead a fan vote that has fans across the country speaks volumes for the respect many have for the kid out of DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland.