When Ohio State takes the field for its game against Rutgers on Saturday, it will again be without Chase Young.
But after taking on the Scarlet Knights, the Buckeyes will be rejoined by their star defensive end.
In a press release issued by the school, Ohio State announced that Young will be held out for one additional game -- this Saturday -- after also sitting out the Buckeyes' win over Maryland last week. Young's absence came as the result of an investigation into a potential NCAA violation committed by the 20-year-old in 2018, in which he allegedly accepted a loan in order to help fly his girlfriend to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Young said that he has since repaid the loan, which he said came from a "family friend."
“I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude to university staff members who worked so diligently and expertly to learn and understand the facts, and then to report these facts to the NCAA as part of our request to have Chase reinstated,” Ohio State director of athletics Gene Smith said in a statement. “This is the example of the culture of compliance we have at Ohio State.
“I also want to commend Chase Young and let him know how proud we are of him. He took responsibility for his actions, cooperated throughout the process and understood and accepted that there would be consequences. He’s a team captain and a leader and most importantly, a Buckeye. He wanted nothing more than an opportunity to play again and we’re pleased that he’ll get that chance.”
Shortly after his reinstatement was first announced, Young took to Twitter to share his excitement over the news.
Prior to his two-game suspension, Young had established himself as one of the most dominant players in all of college football and had emerged as an unlikely candidate for the Heisman Trophy as a defensive player. In eight games, he tallied a nation-high 13.5 sacks, four of which came in his most recent game, a 38-7 victory over Wisconsin on Oct. 26.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Young also ranks as the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, according to multiple analysts including both ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay.
After sitting out again this Saturday, the Hyattsville, Maryland, native will be eligible to rejoin the Buckeyes for their Nov. 23 matchup vs. Penn State. On Tuesday, Ohio State was named the nation's No. 2 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.