BREAKING: Ohio State investigating Chase Young NCAA issue

Buckeyes' sack leader will not play Saturday vs. Maryland

BREAKING NEWS: Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young will not play Saturday against Maryland because of a possible NCAA compliance issue from last season.

Ohio State made the announcement at approximately 8:30 a.m. Friday with its normal release of the depth chart for the game.

Here's the statement from OSU:

"Ohio State’s Chase Young will not play in this Saturday’s game between the Buckeyes and the Maryland Terrapins due to a possible NCAA issue from 2018 that the Department of Athletics is looking into.

Young released a statement on Twitter at 10:20 a.m. acknowledging "an NCAA eligibility issue:"

pic.twitter.com/ji7uTdYXxp

— Chase Young (@youngchase907) November 8, 2019

The matter could indeed be innocuous and quickly resolved, but it is possible the NCAA will view the relationship differently than Young portrayed due to the business practices of some sports agents.

The NCAA establishes parameters on the length of a relationship a person can have with a player to be classified as permisable.

It is not uncommon for agents to identify future clients as high school players and to approach them at that time to satisfy the NCAA, if questioned later, about the nature of the relationship.

Such a case involving Kentucky's Denzil Ware resulted in him being suspended from the 2017 Music City Bowl.

Young soared into Heisman Trophy contender status with a school-record-tying four quarterback sacks, including two forced fumbles, in OSU's 38-7 victory over No. 13 Wisconsin two weeks ago.

OSU could absorb as much as a two-game suspension for Young without any threat to its No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll, because the Buckeyes (8-0) are 44-point favorites against Maryland (3-5) and will be even bigger favorites next week at Rutgers.

If Young is deemed to have violated NCAA rules and is given more than a two-game suspension, he would have to sit out Nov. 23 vs. No. 4 Penn State and, if the suspension numbered four games, a Nov. 30 game at Michigan.

The Big Ten Championship game will be played Dec. 7.

Young's status arrives at an interesting crossroads for the NCAA, which two weeks ago pledged to pursue a path to compensation for scholarship athletes to benefit from their name and likeness.

If it rules -- if -- that Young violated existing rules, will the NCAA apply its standard punishment or view the violation through the prism of a future standard it has not yet defined?

Young leads the nation with 13.5 sacks, is second in tackles-for-a-loss with 15.5 and fourth in forced fumbles with five.

He has registered a sack in 10 consecutive games, dating to last season, and is nine sacks from setting an OSU career record.

Young, who turned 20 in April, is one of just two defensive players named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.

OSU head coach Ryan Day is expected to release a statement on Friday about Young's status.

Here is what Day said about Young in the aftermath of his performance against Wisconsin:

“Having a player like Chase play the way he has clearly changes the game and makes everybody on that defense better because you have to account for him on every play. But that’s only good if he plays that way, and he is. And we all know his potential and what he’s done, but I thought his intensity and the way he approached that (Wisconsin) game was special.

"You could tell he played with a chip on his shoulder. But that’s only good if he keeps continuing to play that way, and I think that’s why you’ve got to give him credit week in and week out; he’s played the same way, he’s been consistent, he’s been tough, he’s been productive.

"But now we’re into the teeth of this thing, and he’s going to have to continue to play that way because now he’s got the biggest bull’s eye he’s ever had on his chest, and that’s going to be tough going down the stretch.”

For the latest on Ohio State football follow Sports Illustrated Buckeye Maven on Facebook and @BuckeyeMaven on Twitter.

From the NCAA web site: "To protect the integrity of college athletics contests, NCAA regulations prohibit student-athletes from betting money on any sporting event (college, professional or otherwise) in which the NCAA conducts collegiate championships. Violations of this regulation can result in a student-athlete losing his or her athletics eligibility, which has clear negative repercussions for the individual and his or her team."